The Professional Touch Watson Monk

 

PROFESSIONAL   TOUCH

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“ MO MONK NK”” WAT WATSO SON N

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Published by

ABBOTT’S MAGIC NOVELTY CO. COLON, MICHIGAN Copyright

1945

 

Contents PAGE Forew Fo reword ord by Percy A b bo tt ...... ............ ........... .......... .......... .......... ......... ....

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W h e n in D o u b t ..... .......... ......... ......... .......... ........... ........... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......

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L e t’s H a v e a Reaso Reason n for I t ...... ............ ........... .......... .......... .......... ......... ....

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Setting the Tempo ..................................... ............  

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H a v e Some Stage F ri rig g h t ...... ........... .......... .......... ......... ......... .......... ......... ....

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The Th e San Sand d F ra ram m e ... ........ ......... .......... ............ ............ ........... .......... .......... .......... ......... ....

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Can a Trick Be Too Perfect? ................................  

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Th e Fift Fiftyy-Ca Card rd L i f t ... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... .....

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I t ’s S til tilll “ H o w Y o u D o I t ” ... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...

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Be S Sure ure Y ou r Dr Dres ess s iis s C o rr e c t ................................ ................................   21 To Ac Ackno know w led ledge ge A pp pplau lau se ... ...... ...... ...... ...... ..... ..... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... .....

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Keep Y o u r Salar Sa lary y U p ........ ............ ......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ......... ....

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What Does It Get You to Expose? ......................   26 Face to Face, by Doc Harad ................................ ................................   30 The Birth Birth o off a New T r ic k .................. ....................................... .....................

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A Qu Q u ic ick k ie ........ ............. ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... .......... ........... ........... ......... ....

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Behi Be hind nd Y o u r Back .... ........ ......... .......... .......... .......... ......... ......... .......... ........... ......... ...

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A Coke Twist, by Ott Otto o C u r l ...... ......... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...

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A M il k y M i x u p ...... ......... ...... ...... ..... ..... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...

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The Th e Lo Lota ta T ric ri c k ........ ............. ........... ............ ........... .......... ........... ........... .......... .......... .....

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H an d R ab bit iin n H ig h Ha t, b by y D el l O ’D e l l ... ...... ...... ...

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Foreword I ha have ve seen D on ald “ M o n k ” Watson perform scores of times — as a M ag ic ia n , as a Master Mas ter of Ce Cere re monies, as an orchestra leader and as a pantomimist. W it h o u t ex excep cepti tion on h his is offerings ha have ve a alwa lways ys met w ith enthusiastic audience approval. His natural ability as an all-around performer and his years of experience as an entertainer have taught Monk stage deportment, the right timing of a bit of business, and how to deliver the punch lines in gags 0id patter to get the best results.

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wo r^ w ith numerous top top-n -notc otch h performers ■§  (through the y yea ears rs,, M o n k ha has s been observant of the Saethods by which they sold their entertainment and audiences, and he has been quick to apply '^^4)hese o Qyon  their professional principles to his own performances. 03

■ •2 S° wi with th this b bac ackg kgrrou ound nd,, I feel th that at M on k iis s in1-4indeed q qua ua lif lifie ied d to give y you ou tips on the “ prof professi essional onal §  § tou ouch ch..”

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o A lth ou g h M o n k ’s M ag ic is pr pres esen ente ted d as com comedy, edy, in  J? he is not simply a Magician who makes use of comedy tricks. tric ks. R at athe herr he ha has s the kna knack ck of m ak in ing g u us se of any = typ type e of e eff ffec ectt in M a g ic an and d with a def deftt touch of hi his s own particular style of comedy here and there, pro ducing fine entertainment. Originality in style and an outstanding person ality al ity ar are e M o n k ’s bi big g a as ssets. To m meet eet h im is to enjoy him. I f you gain som some e “professional touch ” from th the e follow ing pa page ges, s, and I fe feel el you w ill, I know tha thatt M o n k will be glad to have been helpful. Percy Abbott

 

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When in Doubt I ’v ’ve e be been en doing som some e rea reading ding lately on how to be come co me a M ag ic icia ia n — and of all th the e s scr crew ewy y thi things ngs in p rin t today on that subject! I t se see ems that the they y are trying to make ove overr th the e who whole le M a g ic wo world. rld. Some of the books book s have b been een ver very, y, very good, and some some — we well, ll, not so good. This book iis s not going to make a M ag ic ia n out of a single one of you, but it you do Magic, it may make your act a little more entertaining, which after all is what we are trying to do. I w o u l d n ’t go acr acros oss s the str street eet to s se ee the greatest M ag icia ic ian n in th the e w orld if h he e we were re not entertaining. I love to to be fooled, and Brother, I ’m a pu push-o sh-over ver for comedy, but to see someone come out on the stage and just pick flowers, balls, cigarettes out of the air, clutter up the stage with a lot of good-looking flowers without reason or without the entertainment element is just a night wasted. I ’m goin going g to try tto o give you so some me of the things Ive learned in my thirty y yea ears rs in Sh Show ow Busin Busines ess. s. Gee, that is a long time to go without eating; well, part of the time it really wa was s “ Coffee and ca cake kes.” s.” I d id get a bit of the “cream” though, and it tasted good. Once the bug bites you and you hear that big hand, it is har hard d tto o give it up. I love it. it. So w ill il l you, and I hope you all get plenty of big hands. A fte r go going ing throug through h th the e m ill, so to sp spea eak, k, I ’ve found that an adaptation of the advice often voiced in the old vaudeville days gives a lift to my performances. R ay Dooley, who with her brot brother her,, Gord on, did a comedy act, act, a att ttime imes s pretty knoc knockabout, kabout, is c credited redited w ith this advice to Gordon, “When in doubt, do a pratt fall,” a comedy device which is still good. Please Ple ase do not get the idea that I ’m asking my good friends in M a g ic to go around do ing th thes ese e things, how how-

 

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ever they m ig h t s ever sa ave a lot of sh show ows. s. W h a t I ’d like to say is, “W h e n in doubt, tell a gag or g get et a laug laugh h w ith a comedy trick.” I ’v ’ve e b bee een n cau caugh ghtt s seve evera rall ti times mes w ith an audience of sour so ur-p -pus usse ses, s, and the the harder more I ’d to bbe rin gtoth them em Magic. o out ut of their lethargy, it try would do Comes now the cure. I have several little gags on my table for just such audiences, and to date they never have failed. So, have a few “when in doubt” tricks handy.

Let’s Have a Reason for It One of my pet peeves is a trick without a reason, or “W h y did the ba ball lloon oon burst burst?” ?” Once I saw a very clever fellow do the Card in the Balloon Balloo n (a darn good tric k) . H e had th the e ca card rd cho chose sen n

and replaced in the deck, then the deck placed on the tray, the balloon blown up, and then for no reason on earth, the balloon burst. The trick got a good hand, but w h y d i d t h e b a l l o o n b u rrs st?

 

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I do tthis his trick, and I ’m go going ing to p pa ass on my ide idea a of doing do ing it. Us Use e it if you wi wish sh to or sk skip ip it — I ’ll not b be e sore. I force a card, having a duplicate card all set on the tray, then I ask the person holding the forced card to fold iitt and tea tearr it into eight pa parts. rts. I tak take e up th the e parts, add my torn corner to the top and force this cor ner, saying “Please hold a part of the card for just a minute.” I then place the torn parts in my card box and have som some e spectator ho hold ld the box box.. I retur return n the re mainder of the deck to the tray under the balloon, and ask for a ciga cigarett rette, e, ligh lighted ted if possi possible. ble. I kno know w I cou could ld take one out of my inside pocket lighted, but why use my own when they they ar are e so har hard d to ge get. t. I then pic pick k up tray and balloon, touch the cigarette to balloon, at the same time tripping the trigger and there we have the card in the balloon, that is, all but the torn corner, which, if I have forced right, is now in the hands of the person wh who o c cho hose se the card. Ju s t th the e fact that I us use e the cigarette to   burst the balloon makes me feel that I have finished the trick (and also the balloon). You can get a good laugh if while the person is blowing up the balloon, you make a side crack to him, “You’re doing okay, but tell me, what is holding you down.” Gee, I alm Gee, almost ost fo rg o t— I th then en ask th the e man h old ing the card box to open it. He does, finds it empty, falls on the floor, and I say, “This trick really puts them in the aisles.” Som Some e never fa fall ll on the floor, so I lose lose the last crack, which isn’t so good anyway. I mentioned th that at I could rem remove ove th the e cigarett cigarette e from my m y iinsid nside e pock pocket et lighted. W h y should it b be e lighted , but o one ne could s sa ay, “ I ’m w wearing earing m my y ‘ligh te r’ suit.” suit. ” M y ! M y ! W h at c corn orn th this is W atson iis s ser servi ving ng this sea eas son. I n the ffir irst st place wh why y w ou ld a man carry a cigarette or cand candle le in his inside pocke pocket? t? G oo ood d M ag ic ? W e ll, tha thatt iis s a matt matter er o off opinion. I t is a clown stunt only. I just re read ad thi this s to m y da daug ughte hterr and s sh he

 

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said, “W e ll said, ll,, I ’d like to see it come out of the pocke pocket,” t,” so, do it that way if you w ant to to.. I ’ll still borro borrow w on one e if I can. Since I started this raving on “Have a reason for it,” I a, visi visited ted th the Ho wemeMve ilit School a att Lo Horin weg, Ind ian where Ie sa saw w so som very rya ry fin fine e Schoo M a g icl by Ca m pb ell and hi his s cha rm ing helpmate, Kathryne. Here is a fellow who can handle children like they should be han handle dled. d. H e ’s ne neve verr fr fresh esh or bel belittling ittling , b but ut appears to be just a big kid coming over to the house * to do so some me tric trick k — and tha thatt m make akes s hi him m one w ith the    '    N kids.    O    I Loring keeps up a running line of talk all through   a    i    T   r    C his act act — not patt patter, er, b but ut chatter.   He dishes out more   o   t    E   c   L corn   and  p    i  pu u n s   than any three acts I have ever seen, but    V   L    O it is meant to be corn   and the kids enter into the fun    f   o   C

and do every everything thing bu butt tear the ho house use apart.

H e as ask ks

  y Boo” o” fr from om all sid sides es,, b but ut it is all in   r    G for it and he gets “ Bo   a   r    N    I the e sp spirit irit of “Y ou ar are e just as smart as I am .” W h e n    b    i    R th    L    U he finished his show, it was elating to hear the com    J   e   t    N me ment nts s — “ Gee, but that wa was s a swel swelll show” and “ Isn Is n ’t   a   t    O    S   C he a grand fellow?” Then later we saw some of the   e kids through their dormitory windows showing the    h    T   A    Mother fellows “just how it was done.”    L    A In his show Loring did the lighted candle to hank    '

and then from his hip pocket he produced the lighted candle. See what I mean? There was a reason for it being lighted, because he had vanished a lighted can dle. T h at is my argum ent — have a rrea easo son n for it. I w ou ld like to pick L o rin g ’s sho show w apart and go through every trick for you, but that would be like stealing the act. He did nothing but small tricks and just a little finish trick to say “Good-Night.” Nothing big, but a good show. Again I say, it is entertainment and not just Magic. Perhaps that is the reason Loring is always booked a couple of years ahead.

Setting the Tempo Stage Deportment and Tempo are a bit difficult to write about because while there are some set rules on

 

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stage walking, talking, and manners, these rules are more or less elastic for there are very few persons who should enter or conduct themselves on the stage as another wo would uld do. The deportment (or sta stage m an  ners if you w il ill) l) of any perfor performer mer should fit fit or be be adapted to to that pa partic rticula ularr iin n d iv id u a l’s personal personality. ity. T o start off off,, howe however, ver, let let’s ’s take up the very first entrance. If you have music for entrance, it should be play ing at a good FF (that means strong and loud), dying out as as you reach cent center er (or wherev wherever er you w ill il l do you yourr first trick). If you are going to do a Magic act with out talking, you should waste no time in getting into yourr fir you first st trick. I have alwa always ys b been een tau taugh ghtt tto o get und under er their skins as soon as possible and to set a t e m p o .   Y^our first impression will follow you throughout your act, so make it good as you can. I f you ar are e doing glove gloves s tto o fflow lower ers s (or w wha hatt have you), walk to your spot,  smile, and get it over with in a hurry. hur ry. I t is not for applause, s so o do n’t look for it it,, but remember that they are surprised and they have to have time to get over the shock. Too many of us look for a big hand on the fir first st trick. I t is just a “ H e ll o ” on your part. And to maintain the tempo, have your next trick all set to get into, remembering all the time that they must have a little time to think about what you are doing or what you have done. I played to an audienc audience e th the e other da day y wh ich, I understand, had not seen a M a g ic show for year years. s. I thought that I was doing the most beautiful “floppo” of my life, because I never got a hand and very few laughs thro throug ughou hou t th the e sh show ow.. W h e n I wa was s fin finish ished ed and my last trick was over, I was certain that here I w ou ld have the su sure rest st death in S ho how w Busi Busines ness. s. 1 walked walk ed to tthe he front of th the e s sta tag ge w ith tha thatt “W e ll, ll , th ther ere e you are” are” b bow, ow, and I ’m te telling lling you, tto o da date te I have n nev ever er heard such such a ha hand nd (fo r m y  show, I mean). It seems that

 

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they had stored up all their enthusiasm to the very end. Theyy were ju The just st no nott show-minded,  1 found out, but after the show was over, more than usual of them came back and thanked me for appe appeari aring ng there. I aske askedd the were sponsor so amazed what hethey thought wereabout unableit toand grasp he said, the answers “They  before  bef ore you went wen t into yo your ur next t rick ri ck.. ” T h a t means that th at the tempo was a littl li ttlee too fast for them. You have heard some of our comics say, “If I’m going too fast for you, you, stop stop me.” Well Well,, they  do it in fun, but it is very true at times tha thatt we we aallll go to tooo fa fast st for them. them. I ’m afraid if I had used such a crack that night it would have been my doom. I have learned many lessons in my years on the stage. I hope that some of them I can pass on to you to to  them,  f ofeel r  help tempoyou. You must not fo   them. out your audience, then set a I visited a nite spot in Hollywood, Grace Hayes’, I saw Miss Hayes put on her show, and for the last act sh shee int introdu roduced ced hher er so sonn. This Thi s boy is one of the cleverest fellows on any night club floor. He is smart, can do very good imitations, sings very well, and his “drunk” act is simply the last word. Miss Hayes had  been wor wo r king ki ng and ha hadd the audie aud ienc ncee in he herr hand ha nd up to this point. As usual, she had set a certain tempo. Well, the boy came on, starting fast, slowing up for the imi-

tations, then acharacter. little stageHewait he was getting into the and “drunk” hadwhile lost the tempo, and Miss Hayes kept saying under her breath, “Tempo! Tempo!” After about four minutes, which is a long time on the stage or floor, he hit the pace again, and everyone was with him at the finish. I don don’’t know whether whet her yo youu follow foll ow me or not, but we, the audience, had let down for a few minutes, and it was hard for him to pick us up again, but he did it and all was good at the finish. My good friend, Gil Brown, producer of shows  backk in 1920, gave me a hhii nt one da  bac dayy that th at has st stuck uck with wi th

 

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me ever since. I had the band in one of his acts, and we  playe  pl ayedd f rom ro m the stage. I wou woull d set wh whaa t I t houg ho ught ht was a good tempo. He would listen for a minute and then stop us. I couldn’t understand what was the matter as said, we were “Monk, playing youasare we playing had beena playing nervousfortempo. weeks.You He should play so that the people out front can feel it and keep time with you. Now if you set a tempo so fast that they are beating their feet off trying to keep up with you, they are nervous, tired, and upset. Try to make them feel smooth.” Boy, how this could fit some of the band acts today. How they are missing the boat, or am I too old. In one of our large theatres, I heard one of the finest  bands and for fo fort rtyy minut minutes es I was t ry ryin ingg to get my  bre  breat heard, ath. h.and T h eperhaps l ea eade derr the setnoisiest. a tempo te mpoIt— wasthe thjust e fastest one number I ever after another at a uniform and monotonous pace — fast — fast — fast. The kids loved it, but when the end of the act came he died. Why? Because he had been dance nce job job on the stage, and they applauded as  play  pl ayin ingg a da in a dance hall. Those who had “set out” the dance, as I had, were so nervous they just couldn’t applaud. How much better it would have been, if he had given out with one slow number, which would still have tempo. Thisyour willaudience help us —with Magic—acttrythis Judge set our a tempo to way. keep them in tune with your act. Not every trick so fast, but give them a breathing spell — not a stage wait, just time to think a little. Keep building up and up to a  fin  fi nish.  Don’t give them too much. Keep a trick up your sleeve for them, should they insist on more. This whole thing started with your entrance, didn’t it — setting a tempo? Music means so much to many Magic acts. They would be lost without it to  build  bui ld up each trick. tr ick. T h a t is all r i gh ghtt if you are ar e doi doing ng that kind of a Magic act. I have never used it. Per-

 

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haps I should, but I have to play in many places where they just have ha ven’ n’tt any music, so I ’ve arr arran anged ged my act to go along without wit hout it. I ’m doing an hou hourr show now now,, and that, my friends, is a long time out there alone.  I have to keep up my tempo with some gags, those “when are in doubt” I usemythe Bang when things getting tricks. slow, and little can Gun of Peanut Brittle (Snakes) is a life saver. Not Magic, I know,  but it keeps t hem he m up to a tempo. When I do a trick that is over their heads, I laugh it off with “Well, I didn’t care for it, either.” I throw it away off the stage and wipe my hands. I’m part of the audience that way, way, and I ’ve broken broke n the tempo with a slow trick, so I have to pick it up again with a little laugh (my own chuckling laugh bit) and it never fails. I may do the same trick to another crowd and it goes  bigg fo  bi forr me. You nev never er know kn ow wha wh a t to expect exp ect f r o m an audience. I like to make tthem hem feel that I ’m just on onee ooff them, showing off. I may have to enter a little differently than you do  perhap  per haps, s, bu butt it is because I ’m do doii ng a r unni un ning ng liline ne of chatter (not patter) all through my act. I don’t want you to try it unless it fits you. I have to come on, walk down front, front, visit w witithh them, tell tthem hem to feel feel that I ’m  justt dr  jus droo ppi pp i n g in fo forr a ccha hatt and to sshow how off off,, lilike ke a nei ne i g h bor comin co mingg in fo forr the th e eveni evening. ng. I t crea creates tes a nice nic e feel fe elin ingg don’t and from try this thenunless on I itcan fitsse setyou. t a dozen Look back tempo tempos. ats. some Agai Again, of n, the comics you know or hear. Bob Hope has to work fast or he’s licked; Bob Burns, slow and easy. They set a tempo and stick to it. Our Magic acts should be like that. I know one fellow who has seen my act, and today he is doing every trick I do, and even trying to imitate my littl littlee laugh. (A word about that laugh. I ’ve be been en asked how I do it. Thank God, it was given to me when I was born, and if folks think it is cute, it is for that reason. reaso n. IItt ’s nat natura ural.l.)) I ’ve never see seenn this fel fellow low work,

 

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 but  b ut t he heyy t el elll me he doe doess a ni nice ce act act,, all al l b u t t he l a u g h . He is overworking and trying to be funny, and he isn’t funny at all, and the laugh is forced and unreal. It will not take an audience very long to find that out. that laugh, I’ve thought abouthave it a found few times and About have forced it myself, but 1, too, that it wasn’t real when I tried to do it, so I just go along and it comes out here and there in every performance  — a n d at t he r i g h t titimes mes,, too. There, that’s for you fellows who want to buy my laugh. 1 couldn t te tell ll yo youu how it is is done for money mon ey or even if I wanted to give it away. I’ll agree it helps me to set a tempo and I’m thankful to hear it myself and to hear the audience pick it up. Have Some Stage Fright Here is a little story about Elsie Janis which I’ll never forget. After World War 1, I was part of Elsie

Janis and Her Gang, having done stunts with her when she was giving shows for the A.E.F. in France and

 

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how would you like to know that she wanted me to have stage fright (to a certain degree) every time I went on the stage in her show. I guess one does overcome it after years of being out fright) front, eachbuttime I still I gogeton,a thrill and then (or isI know it just I’ll a bit do ofa good show — how do you like that, you who have seen me do my “tightwire” or M.C. work? That is the truth, so help me! Miss Janis said that when a person got so sure of himself, or herself, that the audience held no fear for him, he was just too “hard boiled” or “nervy”, perhaps getting by on his nerve. Now here is what she told me: “Monk”, she said, “remember that they love you out there until you do something to make them dislike you. Go out with all the of the stage thatthere you and havedoinyour youractmakeup, and love they’ll accept you. If you have something worth while, they’ll see it and you’ll go over.” H o w true that ha hass been been thr through ough the ye years ars.. I ’ve walked out on the stage, forgetting this, and tried to wise crack my way through, but I’ve died a lot of deaths before my act was over. I’ve heard fellows say, “I’ve never known stage frig fr ight ht.” .” I ’ve watc watched hed tthem hem work, and I coul couldd see see wh why. y. They were so dead sure of that “big shot” that they wereand mechanical, nervyat—them anything but free easy. Theystereotyped, had me looking that way. I couldn’t relax, but they were clever. One of these fellows hasn’t changed a line in years, goes over okay, but could be a lot funnier if he would relax and cause the audience to relax with him. He, I might add, is one of the best friends I have and I can’t tell him, but perhaps he’ll read this and take it to heart. It will mean more money to him. This will not cure all ills, because the stage is a hard place to relax on. You’d better have something to sell before you get out there in front of the lights, and you’d bet-

 

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ter believe in yourself and your talent, which they can’t take away from you. May I quote from James Allen’s “As a Man Thinketh Thin keth”” : “Mind is the Master power that moulds and makes, And Man is Mind, and evermore he takes The tool of Thought, and shaping what he wills, Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills; He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass; Environment is but his lookingglass.” You can just about bring about what you want if you think   before you go on the stage, and continue to think  while   while you are out there. I read where a fellow was surprised when the audience didn’t think I hebelieve was funny. What like  funn ny Imwould an  is born to tell that fellow! that a fun  fun  fu nny. We just have to have some straight   men on our stages, and it would be nice if we could have more of them in the audiences. Being funny is a business. Joe Penner, who was one of my best friends, was his own worst enemy. That boy would worry about everything he was to do on the stage. His heart and soul were in his act, and even if some of you readers didn’t like him, he must have been good because millions of fans wrote in to the studio and the polls put him on the top p of radio, very to pictures well. Just think afrom a small salary that Iand paid him inasDetroit — $150 week   — to (a (and nd I saw this mysel myself) f) $17,000 — not $1,700 $1,700,,  but $ 17 17,00 ,0000 — tha t hatt for one week wee k in N e w Yor York. k. I visi visited ted him back stage and he was the same sweet kid I knew in Detroit. Lines of youngsters, blocks long, waiting for his autograph — they loved that fellow. Why? Because he was one of them, a big funny kid, doing kid things, talking like a kid, laughing, not at Joe Penner,  but with wit h the audi audience ence.. T h e r e is lots of dif differ ference. ence. Joe said to me, “Monk, what is it all about? I’m still doing ‘Do you wanna buy a duck?’” I told him it

 

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was just the good break he deserved. He was bringing in the crowds and they were only paying him for it. He was the most serious fellow I ever met just before he went on — and all the time he was on. I remember whensomeone he wasinwith me at the in Los Angeles, the orchestra putParamount grease on his violin bow. He was so upset on the stage that he could hardly finish his act. He came and said, “That wasn’t funny. Perhaps to you, but not to the audience, so please leave me alone.” That was his living, his work, and he worked work ed to be funny. I ’ll always reme remember mber hi him. m. The Sand Frame

Here, my friends, is one of my favorite tricks, and I ’m going to pa pass ss my pres presentat entation ion of it on to you if yo youu wantt itit.. I ’ve used it for years and if anyth wan any thing ing has been been  p  put ut to a tes test,t, this t rick ri ck has ha hadd its te test. st. I use one of Abbott’s sand frames. The reason for using Abbott’s frame is that I have never found a better one, and also because he gave it to me, which isn’t a bad reason. Well, he didn’t really give it to me. It seems that he sold me one long before he started the Abbott Magic Novelty Company. I used it for years and then something went haywire with it and I had to have it repaired. I live tol lpass the have Ab-e  bot t Because  bott pl plan antt sever several al times tiin mesColon each and da dayy have ( I r ea eal y don’t do n’t hav to pass it, so most of the time, I don’t, but walk right in), I walked in one day with the frame in my hand and said to Perce, “Hello, my friend”, and he said, “Hello, Monk. What’s on your mind?” I knew that he was anxious to do something for me so I told him how I had sat on the frame and how it wouldn’t work. He took it in his hands and remembered that it was one of his longlost pets. He said, “I just couldn’t see you using such a thing, why don’t you let me fix it?” It sort of took me off my feet because I knew that he was  busy,  bu sy, but I said I woul wou l d like li ke not no t hing hi ng bett better. er. H e re re--

 

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 pa ired  pair ed it and sent it on to me, but do you kn know ow th that at in the mail it was broken again, so I returned it to him, and he made a new one, and when it was finished, he said to the boys in the shop, “That is such a good frame, why not put it back into production?” So that is why you, too, can get a swell frame just like mine. Now here is the effect: On my table, I have the frame with the card which I ’m about about to fo force rce — I mean the duplicate duplic ate of the card I ’m going goi ng to force — in the fr frame. ame. I also have a P & L card box on the table, which I tell the audience is a cigarette case. I have a lady come up on the stage and ask her to pick out a card (use your own force). She has to pick out my card, because I have fifty alike for her to choose from. She places the card, face down, in the card box, and places the case in her purse. I then tell her that my wife gave me her picture after one of her recent trips. 'I show the sand frame empty, and say, “Looks like she’s gone agai again.” n.” Thi Thiss gets gets a laugh. (Ano (Anoth ther er version — “A picture of my uncle standing outside a beer joint” and then, “He’s gone in again!”) I hand lady the frame to hold above her head (at this time turning frame upside down, allowing sand to leave glass) back of frame to audience. While in this position I ask her the name of her card. When she answers, I ask her to turn frame around (or better still, I turn it around). The chosen card is now seen in the frame andcase getswhich a hand. I ask her to lookpicture in the cigarette she Then finds empty. This, my friends, is a real gem, and you’ll use it over and over again — and it will cause a lot of nice talk about your show —•they’ll remember it. Gan a Trick Be too Perfect?

I had never given too much thought to a trick being too perfect. However, I had it brought to my attention after doing a show in Texas. I was doing the Dollar Bill in Lemon. I did it just as the directions told me to, and it worked fine, and I got a nice hand,

 

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 bu t af  but afte terr the show a fell fe llow ow came ca me back stage and told to ld me he had an idea that he thought would help the trick. I was all ears, and this is what he gave me. I’ve used his idea and it has helped, not only in this trick  bu t He  but in atold lot me of others. that the trick I was doing was too perfect and that it looked too mechanical. He suggested that if I would make it look as if I had helped, it would look better. As he saw my performance, I had asked for a dollar bill, had a corner torn off, put the dollar  billl in an envel  bil envelope, ope, bu burn rned ed that, that , and had ha d a l emon selected. The lemon was cut and there was the dollar bill with matching torn corner. I hadn’t been within ten feet of the lemon at any time. He thought if I were even to pick up the lemon and insert the knife, thenit hand to thethevolunteer assistant to finish cutting, wouldit give impression that in some way I had put the bill in the lemon. I tried it the very next show and the “Ohs” and “Ahs” were there, also the big hand which I had not received the other times. I have one very good critic, Mrs. Watson, and she told me that she liked it much better that way. I might add that the lemon trick I did was the one  putt out by Abb  pu Ab b ot ottt ’s. I’ve used the same thing in several other tricks which seemed too mechanical and it has given them aence touch which helped. believe if we they all give something to let I them believe are the “in”audion something, they’ll talk about us a lot longer. They like to think they’ve caught something, so give them a twist if you can. I can think of the reaction of the audience when Jack Gwynne shows them the feather duster — how they yell, and what a swell feeling he must get, because he does it so well. The answer is: A sucker trick is always good, if you can do it without hurting the ego of your audience. Don’t ever hurt them,  butt you can do a llot  bu ot to t he hem m if it is cute, not fresh. fre sh.

 

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