4l mann g.zd'~ · 2021. 1. 19. · be thai as it may. our orivinal idea was to make the trick ......

•

THE

h Club'ck of the MontTrt PRESENTS

, ULTI?A"Nil' JlLU ()1)991:?1:4()1~C; M~Tti

(Annenunn)

•,...es.-................. ,------........ '-._.: .....:.:-=:.- '-,

4L MANN g.zd'~

lUlU N•••UlI,,'\s( NO.'

AUG • 1911

•

Tel. 201-4)1-2429

POST OFFICE BOX 144 • FREEHOLD, NEW JERSEY 07728

FOREWORD

"THE APODOSIS," meaning the last word onthe center-tear method of thought reading is notreally intended as the last word. This book willshow that there never is a last word to any art.

Better methods and techniques will be dis-covered as the art expands.

A film producer who was critizised for ex-posing magic secrets said, "Magicians must inventnew illusions." There is much wisdom in those words.

When a magical secret has been exposed to thepublic to the point that it no longer enchants,then it is time to come up with something new.

The appeal of the thought-reader is universal.His art can be a terrible power. A lady, in theaudience of mentalist Bobby Huges of Columbus, Ohio,fainted, while he was finishing his show with the"Lexicon Phenomena." This was the real thing and nota publicity stunt. It of course resulted in much pu-blicity and coverage of future shows by the press.

Another lady swooned and nearly fainted beforethe television camaras while mentalist Allemann readher thoughts via the center-tear method.

******************

Thanks to Micky Hades of Canada and RichardOsterlind of Connecticut for their assistance infinishing this book.

Best

m/ns/kf

-

••,...1: VLU§ ULTI:?AI:?1:4.1)I,...f3 MI:Tt1oe••

Here the performerOtaUI for the loan of a &maD,1ip.of ~per which he tean into an approximate IIize.2 x 3 inchu, and, with a fountain pen or pencil, draWlan oval-like circle in the center of the paper. Thiscircle, he Itatn. il to represent the special circle offriend. with· which the spectator'a mind is to comeia contact.

The paper is then handed to the spectator whowrites his chosen name and folds the paper with thewriting inside. Performer then turns his back to spec-tator and, placing bis hands behind hi, OWD back, beasks Jpeetator to hand him the folded paper.

Still retaining the same position, performer 110wlylura the paper according to the instructions, and de-posiu the t~rn pieces in a Imall drug envelope. andletl light to same over a small ash tray. Going topocket for a box of matches or a cigarette lighter, thestolen bit remaina behind untilsuch time as performerremoves a white calling card from tilS pocket upon..hich to jot down the letters, one by one, which heapparently sees in the smoke created by the burningpaper.

Needless to say, the small bit of paper with writ-ten Dame is removed together with card and read frompalm of hand as the supposed smoke rays are beingjotted down. Tbia, in brief. ia Mr. Hamblen', OWllconception of how a bit of real Dlaj'ic can be gamedfrom taking any effect and changing it into a new one.

If yOIl Mould doubt the ..touDding nature of thiartmarkable mental telt-try itl

THAYER

•

T. M. C. !I:()ITSJust a few words relative to this release by Yr.

Annemann. We wonder if the majority of T. M. C.Members will rea lize the vast super qualities of thismaster effect) H ere we note one of those rare andunusual ..a ses where a mere secret overshadows thatof the 1lI0~t expensive trick or illusion. In fact, thereis no po,~ihle way to place an estimate of value uponan effect of this type. befau,,' they only come to 1;l(htonce or twice in a Iifc time.

MOIwy will not huy them. In our entire experience.we have never seen aaythinl-: of il similar likeness.which could even approach this remarkable little con-ception. Simplicity of method. yet worked with pro-per showmanship. its effect is positively uncanny be-yond all words to descr ibe.

Several local T. M. C. Members themselves haveeven voiced thdr opinion that its value can onlv beappreciated lry otT erin/( it as a $IG.OO mystery prodllct.rather than a regular club feature release. Be thaI asit may. our or ivinal idea was to make the TRICKOF THE MONTH CLllH a worth while institution-somethinl( out of the ordinary-with real value, ser-vice and satisfaction to its members.

Therefore, we I}ave every good reason to believe. that every member who receives this exclusive master-

piece or excellence, will have sometblng in his posses-sion which no other mazical opportunity would havemade it possihl« for him to own.

Some time aR'll we mentioned the fact that Mr.Herbert M. Richmond, the well known patter special-ist. was' arranging several special routines c.'mprisingthe use of various effects that appeared ill Series !Iio. 1.

These arc nnw read)', the fir~t of which will sup-plement Release No. 3 of present Serie., with othersto fo\low at rt'l(ular intervals, .'

These program routines wiJI enable one to fuUyrealize a new element of value and satisfactioo which,otherwise would perhaps have escaped notice b7 theaverage member entirely•

/"'1

THE

Trick of the Month ClubPRESENTS

1111111 H•• IULlAil HO••

AUG· 1m

I....

•

liNE PLUS ULTRA READING'METHOD"The medium takes a sinKI~ piece of paper and pen-

cil. Same may be borrowed material, In the center ofthe paper he draws an elonK

THE APODOSIS AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

NOTHING MORE BEYOND

3

Ne Plus Ultra (Latin), nothing more beyond,the extreme or utmost point, perfection.

Funk and Wagnalls. New York.

"Ne Plus Ultra" is the title that Ted Annemann gave tothe center-tear method of thought reading when he first re-leased it through Thayer's "Trick of the Month" Club back inAugust of 1932.

Annemann must have searched deep to come up with the onlysuitable title for what he considered the most amazing secretever.

Reading the first manuscript put out on the method isindeed a revelation. In order to give the younger studentsa glimpse of the original concept, the Annemann originalhas been reproduced on pages 1 and 2 through the courtesyof Micky Hades.

According to the manuscript, Ted had been performing thetest for some time before he released it. The fact is thatthe method was already old among the inner circle of men-talists and mediums. Mentalist Martin Sunshine had been do-ing the test in private readings for a number of years.

Annemann gave credit to Ted Arnold, a wealthy New Yorkerand magic enthusiast.This was an erroneous impression thatAnnemann arrived at at the time, and which he later correctedin Jinx No. 74 (page 495) under the effect "The Secret" byDunninger.

Later facts revealed that Sid Loraine had written toAnnemann, Tom Bowyer and Joseph Ovette describing the methodback in 1928. Sid had learned of it from an American studentwho had in turn learned it from a medium in Florida. Nodoubt that Sid's letter is today in someone's collection.

Sid never received credit for this letter. Bear in mindthat Ted Annemann was only 21 years of age in 1928 and quitebusy as a magic dealer and on his road to immortality.

It is quite probable that Ted mistook Sid's instructionsfor another version of the then popular "ball" billet switch.Making the rounds at this time was the billet test which wasquite similar to the center tear method. The spectator wasasked to write something on a piece of paper and then roll itinto a ball. The mentalist would then take the "ball" and tearit up and burn it. A switch had already been made of course.

As every magician knows, an effect described in print looksaltogether different from the same effect that is personallydemonstrated. When Ted Arnold demonstrated the center-tear toAnnemann it registered with it's true impact.

Later facts also revealed that Ted Arnold learned of themethod from Martin Sunshine. And Sunshine had learned of it

THE APODOSIS

4

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

Nothing More Beyond .....•...• cont.

from Joseph Dunninger.Sometime before August of 1932, Joseph Ovette put out

the C-T method via manuscript to an exclusive group of buyers ofsuch secrets. No doubt this was a typewritten paper that sold fora hefty price. Ovette's paper is no doubt in someones collection.It's revelation today would make another bit of interesting read-ing for the serious students of the history of magic.

The secret of the C-T method remained quite exclusiveeven after it was published in the Thayer release. Only a hand-full of magicians saw it's true value. Annemann published thesecret for the second time in Jinx #6 in March of 1935 afterwhich it truly became public property.

In early 1936, a young mindreader from Baltimore bythe name of Mogul "Prince of Mystery" arrived in New York Cityand was immediately booked in the best nightclubs doing nothingmore than the center-tear.

The New York press for May 9th, 1936 said of thesuave and youthful mindreaderl

"There is nothing vague to Mogul's answers.You just write out a question and burn it,and then, with disturbing accuracy he tellsyou your question and answers it."

"It's the uncanny accuracy and detail ofhis answers that make you wonder whether youhave inbibed too many beers."

Please note! that no mention is made of the billetbeing torn to bits before it is burned. This is something thatevery student should remember. The impact of the presentationovershadows all else. The spectators only remember the endeffect and forget the other details. In the minds of the ob-servers, the folded paper is simply destroyed, period!

By Sept. of 1936 Mogul was booked for 14 weeks atthe New York Paramount presenting his miracles in the lobbyof the theatre. Many of the patrons became more intrigued bywhat went on in the lobby than the show inside.

Mogul's fame spread far and wide and soon reached theears of Canadian magician Tom Bowyer. When Mogul appeared inToronto in early 1937, Bowyer made it a point to see the showand was shocked and irked to learn that Mogul was getting topbilling using nothing more than the C-T principle that Bowyerknew since 1928. Such is the power of the mental act.

A most natural professional jealousy between the -box"magicians who had a small fortune invested in props and illusionsand the mentalists who performed with scraps of paper resultedin the exposure of the valueble center-tear trick. Many magiciansgave the trick out to their audiences as throw-away gifts.

,5


NOthing More Beyond .••.....• cont.

The secret of the C-T method was first exposed in printto the general public in an article for the "Towne and Country"magazine, a high society jet set mag, in 19J9 by card tricksterJerry Kahler. Annemann cursed him in Jinx #66.

EXPOSURES EXPOSURES EXPOSURES

The reader is cautioned not to be dismayed when hereads of exposures in the press. The exposers and the peoplethat read their ramblings belong to a very small minority andare to the true showman insignificant. The average theatrepatron wants to be entertained and pays little mind how you doit.

Exposers are primarily party-poopers and not popularwith audiences. No amount of exposure can hurt the true showmanlDunninger proved that point when he exposed his own methods inhis own books and then climbed to the very top as a mentalist.

The Amazing Randi, who has been labeled by the pressas a 'Self confessed Fraud' (not a desirable title in any trade)and has become famous as the exposer of Uri G ller has statedthat people want to believe and no amount of talk about trickerywill shake their faith.

Dr. Henry Slade who was the most exposed medium 100years ago received world fame and stood before crown heads withhis magic. Uri Geller goes on amassing huge audiences everywherehe goes, something which no exposer ever hopes to do.

Billie Dunninger told this author, "Many can play yourviolin, but no one can play it like you." This was a way ofsaying that it is up to the individual to make his grade withhis own personality. Your own personality is something no ex-poser can touch because no one else has it.

*****

AME FLASHES

Al Mann Exclusive ads have become collector's itemsl savethem. **

Billie Dunninger is in the process of writing thelife story of her late husband Joseph Dunninger. She will re-late insights of the great showman's life known to no oneelse.

**More historical notes on the center-tear principle

are included in "Mental-Ettes."


AL BAKER'S MASTERWORK

6

"Towering genius disdains a beaten path. Itseeks regions hitherto unexplored."

Lincoln

The art of the mentalist gave a big leap forward when AlBaker published his book "Mental Magic."

In the book Mr. Baker revealed a masterful technique thatwas not thought possible. One effect alone, "New Light on theCenter-Tear" uncovered a new landscape of thought beyond thecomprehension of common minds. It also proved the fact thatthere is no end to the improvement to any art. Future mindsin magic will no doubt develope even greater methods.

In Al Baker's method, the center-tear principle of stealingthe folded center piece becomes obsolete. The mentalist simplydoes not steal anything, except the spectator's thought!

Which mortal among the uninitiates can even imagine thatthe mentalist can control a folded piece of paper to the extentthat he can secretly open it and read the hidden message in theact of tearing the folded paper to bits?

What manner of man could have conceived such a delicate pieceof art and develope it to near perfection even to the point thatthe message shows itself right side up every time?

Very few magicians today know how to excecute the Al Baker'scenter tear method. Many have Al Baker's book in their collec-tion but have completely overlooked the method simply because itwas taken for just another version of the original working. Themoves are foreign to many and the concept so radically differentand the instructions hard to follow that the reader just puts thebook away and settles for the old method.

Al Baker was a consummate historian of all things magical. Hecould sit for hours and discuss the history of every gimmick heever used and every move he had ever learned. He stated in hisbook that no one knows who invented the center-tear move and yethis s.ma.zing improvements to the concept will no doubt link hisname to the method for ever.

This writer bought Al Baker's "Mental Magic" in 1955 and readthe book in it's entirety but did not understand the working ofthe center-tear method and put the book away with the thoughtthat the contents needed further study. A few months later I readthe book again and concentrated on the center tear method butagain I failed to understand it but did noticed that it containedsomething altogether different and marvelous. I put the book awayagain until a year later when I decided to sit down and tacklethe instructions word for word and practice with paper in hand

I

THE APODOSIS

Al Baker's Masterwork cont.

7


•

until I finally mastered the fabulous method.Mentalist Richard Osterlind from Connecticut went through

the same ordeal and gave up but came up with a similar methodwhich is featured in this book.

Al Baker's center-tear method hinges on a specially foldedpaper, Fig. 1. The paper is prefolded so thatthere i~ a 'step' on the side edges of the FCbillet. The folded center section here after ~Dreferred to as the "FC" corner is shown in Fig.1 .

The "stepped" edges of the paper are toallow the mentalist to stick his thumb into Fig. 1the billet and eventually do the "umbrella"move with the center piece.

That is the secret behind Al Baker's fabulous center-tearmethod. He simply applied his technique of the unbrella move tothe torn out center piece so that the piece snaps open and re-veals the hidden message in the act of tearing it to bits. Butin order to do that he had to develope a new technique of hand-ling the folded paper.

THE IMPROVISITOR

What follows is your author's method of doing Al Baker'scenter-tear method totally impromptu !.

This author has presented Al Baker's center-tear methodbefore paying audiences sometimes doing the entire show withthe method. The prefolded slips were used. However if the readerfolds a piece of paper as shown in Fig. 1, he will discover thatthe fold is unorthodox. It is not the natural way of folding apiece of paper. About one out of six persons will fold the paperwrong after the message is written. When the mentalist discoversthat the paper is folded wrong he has to resort to doing theeffect with the original method of stealing the center piece.

In doing the impromptu version, the spectator is allowed towrite his message on any piece of paper and then fold it himselflPerformer then takes the folded paper and places it to his templeand claims that he has already divined the thought! Since he nolonger needs the folded paper he destroys it and discards it orgives it back to the spectator to keep or burn. He then revealsthe thought!

In order to master the impromptu version, the reader must firstlearn some very rare secrets. Secrets of paper tearing that areonly useful to billet readers •

•8


THE IMPROVISITOR .•.•..•. cont.

\,~FC

Fig. 5

Fig. 4

D~FCY x

Fig. 2

Fig. )

Paper, like almost all things innature, follows the line of least re-sistance and surprising enough when thefolded paper is torn as here discloseda series of receding inverted steps arecreated in the right hand (FC) piece.

The inverted steps are shown in theexagerated figure in Fig. 5.

In the actual torn paper, the stepsare very small but large enough so thatthe mentalist can push up and fold back thetop fold of paper for the purpose needed.

NOTEI The paper used for the test is theordinary scratch pad paper or note book paper.Other grades of paper behave in a slightlydifferent form but with the same results.

Soft paper, for example, forms larger'steps' while the glossy type paper willform steps in the act of tearing it withoutany help from the performer.

It is best to work with the scratch-padpaper as this is the paper that will usually befound at hand.

The reader will find that if he uses a slowtear instead of a fast one he will get betterresults.

SECRETS OF PAPER TEARING. Please follow the instructions witha piece of folded paper in hand. Let assume that the spectatorhas written a message and then has folded the paper twice asinstructed by the mentalist. The mentalist nexttakes the folded paper so that the FC section ison the upper right hand corner as shown inFig. 2. The tips of the right thumb andfingers takes the billet at 'X' and theleft thumb and fingers at 'Y.' (Fig. 2)

Next as shown in Fig. ) the performertears the paper in half the long way bypulling towards him with the right hand andaway from him with the left hand. This isshown in Fig.) by the arrows. HOWEVER assoon as the paper tears a bit, performerturns his right hand down so that the backof the hand is towards him and pulls~ on the right half of the tearas shown by the arrow in Fig. 4.

•

9

THE APODOSIS

THE IMPROVISITOR ....... CONT.AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

Fig. 9

D

Fig.10

FC

1Q

FC~

Fig. 6

B

Tear

FC of

~Fig. 8

the long way, the

Fe 'l: :.::~:JFig. 7 I

C

THE TEAR. Once the billet is torn in halftwo pieces will look like in Fig. 6. Place"A" piece over the "B" piece as they facethe performer, and turn the two pieces intothe horizontal in preparation for the nextmove. Fig. 7 shows the two pieces togetherwith the dash lines representing the rece-ding steps in the tear.

In the act of reaching for the pieceswith the right hand, the top fold of paperis peeled up with the right thumb at point"C" in Fig. 7. and the paper is folded backinto a wedge fold as shown in Fig. 8.

The top fold of paper sticks out due tothe steps formed by the tear and make themove quite easy. Fig. 7 'C:'

Next the pieces are torn in half asshown by the dash lines in Fig. 8. The tornpieces will now look like in Fig.9.

The FC section is again placed on topof the other pieces as they face the per-former and the wad will now look like inFig. 10. The performer now sticks the tipof his right thumb into the slot formed bythe tiny folded piece at "0" in Fig. 10 andthen he can hold the torn pieces at the tipsof his right hand fingers and display themand place them to his temple.

The "umbrella" move must now be executedin order to open out the center piece andread the message, but this can not be donewith the other pieces of the billet behindthe center piece so the back pieces mustbe taken with the left hand and placed infront of the center piece and in the act ofdoing that the move is made simply by pushingin with the right thumb tip and assisted withthe fingers of the left hand. If the movedoes not work smooth enough the left thumband fingers assist in opening out the centerpiecel

PLEASE NOTE that all of the above movesare made while the performer patters andwithout looking as his hands I

Once the center piece is opened, theperformer tells the spectator to place hishand palm up and gestures with his right handwhile the left hand is holding the pieces and

I

the opened center piece in hiding. Now the performer reaches forthe pieces and has a good excuse at looking at his hand, glimpsesthe message and tears the center piece to bits and places all inthe spectator's hand. The conclusion follows.

The reader is advised to buy the Al Baker book, "Mental"Magic" if he does not already have it, to get the benefit ofthe original instructions.

NOTE, Please refer back to Fig. 10. When the pieces behindthe FC piece are to be removed and placed in front of it, thehands do not separate. The fingers of the left hand take thepieces behind the FC piece and revolves around the tips of theright hand in a circular motion while at the same time theright hand turns so that it is palm upwards to receive thepieces. The umbrella move is executed during this maneuver bypushing in with the thumb against the left hand fingers.

THE FOLD, In order for the messageto come up right-side up after theFC piece is opened, the paper mustbe folded in a certain way BUTsince the spectator is doing the !-IALL./j/G€ R..folding in this presentation thatmay seem to create a problem.

Fig. 11 shows a piece of paper Mt:::5S.L1G£..which can be size 2i by Ji OR J by 5 ,.,~ ninches square. Both sizes work well.The performer's name is printed onthe top of the slip or just writtenthere with the pencil and the spec- Fig. 11tator is told to write his messagebelow. Performer walks away from the spectatoras he does the writing and instructs him to say when he hasfinished. Then the spectator is told, while the performer lookson, to please fold the paper in half, and then in half again.

The performer can easily tell by looking in which way thespectator has folded the paper. IF the paper was folded fromleft to right and then top to bottom OR bottom to top theneverything is fine, the performer can go on with the tearingas per the previous instructions. HOWEVER if the spectator foldsthe paper from right to left (as it faces the spectator) andthen top to bottom or bottom to top, then the message will endup wrong-side up. If the spectator has printed the word it maybe easy to read. it upside down BUT actually the performer canjust as easilly execute the moves with his left hand!

THE APODOSIS

THE IMPROVISITOR ......... cont.

10


THE APODOSIS

THE IMPROVISITOR cont.

11


If the reader is to become the master of these techni-ques, then he must just as well decide to learn to do themoves with either hand. Doing the moves with the left hand isjust as easy as doing them with the right hand. All it takesis some practice. Once the reader has learned to do it withthe right hand the rest is easy.

In order to do the moves with the left hand, the instruc-tions must be reversed. The figures from 2 to 10 must be re-versed so that the FC corner is to the upper left hand in Figs.2 to 5 and in the upper right hand in Figs. 6 to 10. The tipof the left thumb is then stuck into the opening as in Fig. 10and the umbrella move is made with the left thumb pushing a-gainst the right fingers.

THE PAPER, The paper used can be any piece of paper, eventhe spectator's stationery. However the mentalist sees to itthat it is of the correct size, and signs his name at the topand draws a line at about the center for the writing of themessage.

DURING THE PRESENTATION it is always wise to handle thepieces sloppily even to the point of dropping one or two pieceson the floor! It is reassuring to know that the lay mind 'givesup' on the folded paper once the performer makes his first tear.The spectators that are watching closely after that is becausethey have heard of trickery involved with the ritual. The per-former need not worry about the wise ones. It is the bulk ofthe audience that one must appeal to.

Your author had a most unique experience while doing thecenter-tear bit to a newspaper reporter at home that resultedin a full page of publicity. After the first tear, the reporterlooked down to his tablet to make notes and never looked at myhands again. I had an easy time of secretly opening the FC piecesince no one was watching!

PRACTICE! PRACTISE! PRACTICE! Just how much practice isneeded to master the technique for doing Al Baker's centertear moves and the rest as detailed? That is hard to say aseach individual must first convince himself that he can do itwell enough to present it in public. This writer practiced atleast 100 times before the routine became second nature. Thepresentation of this or any other art must become part of theperformer and so that it can be done in a natural and relaxedmanner. Practicing before a three-way mirror is also usefuland reassuring. Once the performer feels at ease with the pre-sentation, he has become it's master.

This center-tear method is different to the point that iteven baffles expert certer-tearers. It is done in slow motionright before the eyes of the spectators.

EFFECT AND PRESENTATION, Spectator writes a message orquestion on a slip of paper and then folds it twice and signshis name across the length of the folded paper. The performeralso siins his name to the paper and then tears the paper tobits. As each tear is done, the torn off piece is thrown awayor burned. The spectator plainly sees every bit of his foldedmessage torn to bits and discarded. Yet the mentalist divinesthe secret message!

12

Fig. 14

Fig. i)

Fig. 12

FC"~

FC

~JC:\

Fig. 15


tear

FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX

THE METHOD, A pad of paper ) by 4i inchesis used. To prepare for the test, the perfor-mer takes a piece of paper and folds ittwice and then signs his name across the lengthof the folded paper at the top on both sides.He then tears the folded paper twice in thesame fashion as done for the center tear test.He discards all the pieces except the foldedcenter (FC) piece which he finger palms inhis left hand. Fig. 12.

To present the effect, the spectator isgiven the paper pad and told to write outa message, word or question and then foldthe paper twice. Spectator is next told tosign his name across the length of the foldedpaper. Here the performer draws a pencilline making sure that the folded paper lieswith the FC to the left as in Fig. i).

Performer next turns the paper over sothat the FC is now to the upper right hand,and signs his name on that side.

Performer next takes up the folded paperwith the FC to the upper left and so thatthe performer can plainly see his signature.Fig. 15 shows the billet as it is held andseen by the performer. The spectator's nameis facing the audience.

Performer now tears off half ofthe billet, the right half and dis-ca.rds it with a mild flourish intoan ash tray or waste basket.

The remaining half in the lefthand shows the spectator's signature.Performer calls attention to thespectator's signature and then turns

THE APODOSIS

•

THE APODOSIS

FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX ... cont .

13


Fig. 11

~Fig. 16tear

FC

FC

the piece over and into a horizontal position as shown inFig. 16. However now the spectator's are lookingat the performer's signature while the specta-tor's signature is facing the performer.

At the same time. the performer placesthe half-piece of folded paper under thequarter piece that he has finger palmed inhis left hand, Fig. 11 and performer proceedsto tear the visible half in half and againdiscards the torn off piece. This is doneagain with a modest flourish as the piece isthrown into an ash tray and at the same timeperformer pushes the palmed FC into view andretracts the true FC into the right hand palm.

The audience is now looking at what theybelieve to be the last bit of folded paperwith part of your signarure showing. The spectatorof course believes that his own signature is onthe other side.

Performer can now take the feke Fe piece on the tips ofhis right hand fingers and display it and even turn it overto give the audience a split second flash of the other sidewhich will show some letters upside down! The feke FC pieceis now slOWly torn to tiny bits right up to the 'nitty-gritty' and discard the pieces and have them burn. The per-former of course has the real FC piece with the spectator'ssecret thoughts palmed in his left hand and can proceed ashe wishes.

THE UMBRELLA MOVE

The "umbrella" move in billet work has, like the center-tear, an obscure origin. As well as can be determined, AlBaker was the first to put the principle in print. Al Bakerused it in his first book "AI Baker's Book One" in the effect,Al Baker's Billet mystery. This book came off the press aboutMay 15th, 1933. He also used it in "Mental Magic" in his exce-llent article on 'Pellet Reading.'

The unbrella move is also in the #68 Phoenix by CyrilMarriott. (September 1, 1944) And on page 28 of Vol. oneMainly Mental by C. L. Boarde, (1947).

When the thunb is inserted under the top fold of paperand pressure applied to the FC corner with the tip of thethumb and the fingers, the billet will 'pop' open like anunbrella.

I"

THE APODOSIS

14


THROUGH THE MAGIC DOOR

London, March )1, 1930.

.... one person named Frederick Henry Butlerthe other, David Henry Butler! I !

both found shot dead near their cars!•.•. not related, not known to each other•... profession, both butchers!!!!!l

London Press April 1st, 1930

stopstopstop

Two suicides take place at about the same timethis day. One near London and the other near Nottin-hamshire

stop

Just coincidences or were they? Fate? Magic?Sir Arthur C~nan Doyle wrote of similar strange

coincidences in his book, "Through the Magic Door."

There is a strange faculty of the human mind known asmetapsychosis (the action of mind on mind without known phy-sical agency) which transcends probabilities and causes un-explained coincidences.

Many spectators believe that the Mentalist creates hismiracles by being in possesion of this faculty and by control-ling the thoughts of others he can synchronize events so thatthey coincide in time.

The reader is advised never to underestimate the impactof the "coincidence" effect on the lay audience. In the follo-wing presentation using the center-tear principle, the performeremphasizes the "U do as I do" theme.

EFFECT, A spectator is told to tear out a piece of news-print from any newspaper but is warned that the performer willtry to influence his choice. He is instructed to tear out apiece that contains words instead of pictures. The performeralso tears out a similar small piece.

Performer then draws a cross and a circle on his piece ofnewsprint and asks the spectator to do the same. Performer thenstates that he is going to circle just one word, 1n the circledrawn on the paper near the center of the cross and asks thespectator to do the same. He is told to just circle any wordhe chooses. Spectator is next instructed to do exactly as theperformer does and to follow his every move for the success ofthe experiment. Both pieces of paper are then folded twice.

Performer then places both folded papers together for'sympathy' and then destroys both folded papers. To prove hispoint of 'mind influence' performer hands a slate to the spec-tator and asks him to secretly write his word while the per-former does the same. When the slates are compared, both words

THE APODOSIS

THROUGH THE MAGIC DOOR .•....... cont.

are the same!


15 •

THE PRESENTATION, Fig. 18 showsa facsimile of a piece of news-print used.

A more subtle method forhaving the spectator foldhis piece of newsprintas needed will behard to find.

In this presen-tation using the'coincidence'effect, the spectatormust follow the per-former's every move.

This will resultin a folded piece ofpaper that will revealthe words right-side-upafter the performer doesthe impromptu version ofAl Baker's center tearmethod with his right handas described on page 9.

After the spectator has Fig. 18circled his word, tell himto fold his paper from left toright and then top to bottom. Next take the two folded piecesand place them together as part of the ritual. Performer maythen turn the two pieces over and over for effect and then hecan proceed in one of two ways. He can destroy the two paperstogether, reading the spectator's circled word in the processor he can give the performer's folded paper back to the specta-tor to destroy, while the performer destroys the spectator'spiece. If the spectator comments on the fact that he has beengiven the wrong piece, the performer can state that that ispart of the ritual.

Business cards may be used to write the words on, butthe use of pocket slates or regular slates will enhence thepresentation.

In handling the performer makes sure that he places thespectator's folded piece so that the FC corner is to his upperright and facing him. Then he must keep track of the spectator'spiece.

PLEASE NOTE, The performer must not circle a word but justpretend to. This is to prevent someone seeing the circled wordamong the torn pieces!

16

MENTALIST

This Nail Was Bent By .. ·

THOUGHTCONTROL

Richard

Osterlind(b. 3/6/48, BridgeportConnecticut. )

In 1974, Richard Oster-lind caused a thought-ofpage in a freely selec-ted book held in thehands of the audience,to travel into the handsof another member of theaudience while under theeye of the Televisioncamara.

Richard has appeared inhis own Television showfor a stretch of 14weeks!

The center-tear methodwhich follows was deve-loped and written byRichard Osterlind andappears here in hisown words.

I

17TW~ ULTUIAl'E CE~·rf!.;::R Tr~~

by RIC'IA::m J. OSTSRLIND

Corinda has stated in his book "The 13 Steps to Hentalismll

that the center tear is nbout the greatest single effect inEentalism. Nany other performers share this same view. Foryears I have used the basic effect with rrp..st success,how-ever there are certain pitfalls. 1~e center tear has beenexposed by unscrupulous magicians who can't earn a livingany other way, the torn pieces have to be burned (which issometimes inconvienent), and the stolencenter must be readin an unsuspicious way ,

Al Baker devised his own center tear whf.ch eliminatedthose difficulties. I have spent countless l~ours practicinghis method, but have never felt confident enough \"ith itto use it in public. I'm sure that in his hands the effectis all and more than he claims it to be in his book N AlBaker's l'Iental Nagic 11, but I'm afraid in mine it fallsshort of perfection. Also there are certain moves in thatmethod which deviate slir;htly from a straight forwardpresentation (in my opinion!).

About one year ar:;o I set out to find a method of perform-in~ the center tear that would meet the following qualificat-ions:1) 111e method must have at least as much effect (if not more)

as the original method

2) i'he handling must be as natural and casual as the originalmethod

3) The information must be able to be read in the simple~rOCess of tearing the paper

4) The pieces should not have to be burned

5) The section \lith the information should be torn and leftin the hands of the spectator at the conclusion

6) The method must be as angleproof as possible

and

7) 111e whole process should not have any "cxtr-a" moves suchas shaking the pieces, etc.

I feel all of the above criteria have been met in my method.Since I have wor-ked on this method on and off for an entireyear I want to make sure it falls into only qualified hands.Al, l';ann caters only to professional mentalists and has a lovefor sultle methods, so I am paRsing this secret on to him.At the time of this \.Ti ting, only two o t hcr a mentalists -Ronnie Gann and Danny Tong - know my method.

If the center tear is the ultimate effect in Nentalism -TIllS is the ultimate method.

18THE ULTIHATE CENTER TEAR

EFFECT: A spectator writes the'name of a famous person ona line drawn on a piece of paper and folds the paper "himself".l~e Mentalist openly tears the paper into small pieces andhands them back to the spectator. The performer then divulgesthe person's name in a striking way (see Appendix). At theconclusion the spectator can look through the torn piecesand find his information torn among the pieces he holds! Theeffect can be done close-up or on the stage. Nothing is~agerated! ! !

SECRET: As the paper is torn, the mentalist is able to readthe information right in front of the spectator's eyes.

NO TE :This method is not meant to be used to "prove" that you arenot using the traditional center tear, but it does have theeffect of completely bewildering anyone "in the know". Pleasedo not use it to prove anything.

}ffiTHOD: Before I begin, let me explain that like anything elseworthwhile, my method does take a considerable amount of practice.But rest assured that this is not a pipe-dream and the methodOO',:SlORK. I have asci it under all types of conditions andit ne.ver fails to STUN an audience. Please practice it andthen use it, anywher-e , anytime, anyn'l.ace ,

The paper used should measure approximately 3 :, 5 inches. Sincethis is the most common size of scratch pad available youshould have no difficulty doing the effect irnpromtu. I always

carry a pad this size(with tinted paper) on me. (The tintedpaper negates the thought of seeing through the paper.)

;~aw a line slighltybelow center on the paper and have thespectator "print" the name of any famous person on the line.Turn your back while this is being done and with your backstill turned instruct the spectator to fold the paper inhalf. Turn back and instruct the spectator to fold the paperin half again "the other way". Openly take back the paper andhold it v7ith the left hand with the s LngLe folded edge on topand the double folded edgesto your right. Explain that,~iting the name impresses the name fir.mly in the mind be-cause not only the sense of imagination is being used, butalso the sense of touch and the sense of sight •

./hile you are talking, "buckle" the paper slightly bypressing forward with the right first and sec~nd fingers andpUlling back with the right thlnnb at point Y in illustration 3.Re-crease the top edge with the left fingers so that the papernow resembles illustration 4. This is done as though you areplaying with the paper and is "the only" extra manuever in thewhole routine.(If your fingers are naturally dry, you Can mois ten them "'7ithyour tongue before you begin)

II

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20Now begin a tear about i of the way from the right edge.Tear down and toward the lower right hand corner untilwithin a quarter inch from the corner. Grip the billet atpoint A with the right thumb and forefinger and at point Dwith the left thumb and forefinger.

Pull the two pieces apart with one motion.

Now comes the whole secret of my methoc. This will probablybe as hard to explain as how to tie your shoes, but pleasebear with me as the moves are not ~ll that difficult.

Because of the crease you've made in the billet, the rightmiddle finger can easily sline into the two folds on theright side of its piece. After doing so, the billet can beopened up one fold by sliding the right forefinger intothe sa~e fold and pushing upward, thereby causing the billetto unfold vertically. (See illustration)

These moves take place immediately after the tear has beenmade anu as the right hand piece is being placed behindthe larger left hand piece.

As soon as the billet is opened vertically the right thumbmust slide upwards as the right forefinger and middle fingerslide downward once again causing the billet to buckle.See illustration. (7)

These ~~o moves of opening the billet one fold and thenbuckling the billet open must blend into one action as itis placed behind the left hand piece.(I know it seems impossible to do at first, but pleasebelieve that not only can it be done, but it can be donequite easily after a fair amount of practice.)

As the right hand leaves its piece behind the left handpiece, the single edge is slipped beneath the left thumb.See illustration.

TIle second tear is then made do\~wards as shown in theillustration. lbe center section will not open out yet,but will remain half-closed.

The piece just torn off by the right hand is place IN FRONTOF the left hand pieces. As this piece is placed, it is aneasy matter for the right thumb to continue opening the centersection.

The writing wi11 now be visable to you, but it will be onits side. By glancing do,-m you can turn the papers the properway so that the writing is right side up. Also notice howlarge the center section is and how the two hands hide the~~itng from almost any angle.

The first t1;~O tears should be made without looking at thepaper. The glance is gotten as you look down after the second tearto see which way to turn the papers.

After sighting the name, tear again through the papers asshown. Place the torn pi~ces face to face so that theinformation is hidden. Tear the pieces once or twice more.Now hand all of the torn pieces to the spectator and havehim concentrate. neveal the chosen name as per the Appendix.

\-Then the spectator looks through the torn pieces, therewill be the name all torn up just like it should be. Alsoit will be torn a number of times ~"i th all the pieces sep-arated, thereby making it impossible to read!

This routine.~'10~U(S!! one of tbe reasons it is so good isthat it does take some practice thereby making it impossiblefor someone to duplicate. Get a number of pads size 3 X 5and when you have torn up about three of them, you'll havemastered the routine.

22

This may very well be your most important effect in mentalismso please tell NO ot~ the secret.

APPENDIX

I always have my spectator print the name of a famous person.After handing back the torn pieces I have him picture the personin his mind. ~:row I begin describing the person the way mostpeople remember the person. For Lincoln I might say:

"The person you are thinking of is a man no longer living,but someone you have great respect for and admire deeply. Ri. ght?You see him sitting in a chair almost like a stone statue.There is a solemn look in his eyes. 1~is man who lived throughgreat misfortune is now faced with his own personel mis-fortune. He is being murdered! In a large room with many peoplewatching. You can see the terrible anguish in your mind! Itis a sad day for mankind! The man has a long beard and it mustbe Abraham Lincoln!!

;,that you are doing is creating a picture in the spectator'smind and then describing it as though you are reading his mind!It is amazing how you can lead a willing spectator alongyour train of thought so that later he will swear that yoytold him much more than was ever written on the paper!

Please try this r-outLne and you "rill certainly use it con-stantly in any and all conditions.

4l mann g.zd'~ · 2021. 1. 19. · be thai as it may. our orivinal idea was to make the trick ......

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