AL MANN

POST OFFICE BOX 144 . FREEHOLD, NEW JERSEY
07728

AL MANN

POST OFFICE BOX 144 • FREEHOLD, NEW JERSEY 07728

PSYCH0-MENTISIS

FOREWORD

What the magician does and what his audiences see

is not the important thing in the creation of great magic.
It is what the audience 'thinks' the magician did and what
the audience think they saw, that creates that enchanting
illusion of real magic.

Can you bend a horseshoe? with the power of your

thought? Can you lift a car with the tips of your fingers?
Can you levitate yourself? You will only have to do it once!

The chap that made a cloud disappear from the Florida

skies is today reaping a

harvest. Several articles and books

have been written about him. He has been appointed to several
'psychic' committees. He does not have to make anymore clouds
disappear.

A sideshow performer made a comfortable living just by

telling the same story over and over. On stage he had a giant
blow-up of a newspaper article telling the story of the time
he fell asleep in a drunken stupor on a beach in the Philippine
Islands and woke up inside the stomach of a snake. Luckily, he
said, he had a jack-knife in his back pocket to cut his way
out!

Psycho-Mentisis offers much food for thought and the

off-beat magic that will create a reputation and much talk.
Take advantage of the smallest grain of publicity connected
with this type of magic and blow-it-up bigger than life!

Have Fun

1

PSYCHO-MENTISIS

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVES

THE BENDS

EFFECT: An examined U.S. copper penny bends while held in

the spectator's hand and continues to bend until it doubles over!

METHOD: Pig. 1 shows three
coins. For the moment we say they are
U.S. copper pennies.

The penny at Pig. 1A must be
a steel penny but looks like
a copper penny. These pennies
are sold at the magic stores

A

and come with other effects. They can be picked up
by a magnet!

The bent pennies at B and C are regular copper
pennies but look exactly like the steel penny.
One coin is partially bent and the other is
bent-double. All three pennies will be needed for
the effect.

Pig. 2 shows a secretary-type billfold held

closed with a rubber band. The dash lines indicate
a hidden magnet inside the wallet next to the
skin.

TO PREPARE: Coin "C" is palmed in right hand.

Coin "B" is placed out of sight between the

edges of the wallet right under the rubber band

as indicated by arrow Fig. 2B. The rubber band is only

used to keep the bent coin in position while the wallet is in

performer's pocket.

TO PRESENT: Pass coin "A" out for examination. Take out your wallet
and remove the rubber band holding the hidden bent coin in place
by pressure of the left thumb and fingers.

After the spectator has examined the coin, take it back and

place it at the end of your wallet as shown in Pig. 2 "A"

Tell the spectator that you do not want to touch the coin

again. Holding the wallet with your left hand, tell the spectator
to stretch out his left hand as you dump the coin from the wallet
into his hand. Then say, "Please close your hand as soon as the
coin drops,"

Try the move a second time. As the spectator closes his hand

ask him if he felt anything. "When phenomena occurs, you will
definitely feel a surge of energy leaving your body."

Nothing has happened on the first two tries so you say,

"Let's try it with your right hand," As you say this you naturally
transfer the wallet to the right hand. The hidden bent coin will
now be free to drop out when the wallet is

2

PSYCHO-MKNTISIS

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

THE BENDS .... cont.

tipped. This time the visible penny is placed directly over the
hidden magnet as shown in Pig. 2 "C .

This time when the wallet is tipped over the spectator's hand

he will get the bent coin while the unbent one will remain attached
to the magnet! Performer then places his right thumb over the penny
on the magnet to hide it.

"Keep your hand clenched and try to visualize the penny

bending. There! I felt something, didn't you?"

Continue with a little more patter and then tell the spectator

to open his hand. Most certainly he will be amazed!

The spectator will take a long look at the bent coin BUT as you

take it back from him switch it for the palmed coin and say, "Say!
The coin is still bending," and throw coin "C" to the floor or at
the spectator.

The bent coins are bent with a small vice and a pair of pliers.

Be sure to place a cloth in the jaws of the vice and the teeth of
the pliers so as not to mark the coins. You will have to make a number
of bent coins as the spectator's will surely want to keep them as
good luck charms. The coins bend easier if they are heated a bit,

Dimes and nickels or other coins can also be used provided you

can get the desired steel coins.

This effect can of course be presented anywhere, even on

a street corner, and it is intended for close-up use.

Some of the readers may see a similarity in this effect to

Bill Nord's "Bill-Ze-Bub" which was done with a writing pad, If the
reader has the writing pad gimmick he can of course use it with this
routine. However the wallet, coins and magician seem to go together
most naturally.

A PAUSE

Before proceeding further into our fascinating voyage into

Psycho-Mentisis it is well to stop and reflect on two important
items. No doubt the mentalist and the close-up worker have
discovered that magnets are their best friends. Seeming miracles
can be performed by the use of magnets, so it behoves the artist
to get a bushel full of magnets of all sizes and shapes.

A hidden magnet usually replaces a sleight like the

'French-drop!' A PROFESSIONAL mentalist should never have to resort
to the French-drop sleight which is known by every child who knows
the cups and balls.

In the above effect, "The Bends" all the moves are natural

moves and the performer hardly uses his hands. The wallet is used
because it is handy and so that the performer does not touch the
coin.

Every close up worker should own a magnetic finger ring.

Emerson and West are presently selling one complete with book of
routines for about $12.50. A3 will be seen later

3

PSYCHO-MENTISIS

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

A PAUSE ..... cont.

a magnetic finger ring or any gimmick with a magnet that can be palmed
will take the place of the French-drop.

The second item of importance is the magician's den table. The table
should be the square card table that seats 4

persons and is made of

cardboard. This table should have at least two magnetic fields. One
in front of the performer's place and another one to his right. These
magnetic fields are created by attaching a strong ring or horseshoe
magnet to the underside of the table top where desired. The best way
to do this is to cement a piece of sheet metal to the correct pla-
ces and then attach the magnets.

The effect that follows will show the reader the amazing

effects possible with the magician's table mentioned above HOWEVER
if the reader does not care to prepare a table he can still perform
the effects by hiding magnets under his shirt sleeve, for example
OR he can embed a strong magnet in a writing tablet or brief case.

PERMUTATION OP MATTER

A SOLID THROUGH SOLID EFFECT

EFFECT: Examined and ungimmicked safety pins link . together

without anyone touching them. They link in the hands of a spectator.
They link into the sitters finger ring! The ungimmick pins link
slowly in mid air before the eyes of the audience without any
cover.

This close-up effect is in three parts using different size

of safety pins.

The reader may wish to do only one of the parts or two or

all three of them. If the reader does not own a linking finger ring
then he may do only half of the second part, etc.

Needed:

18 or more 1 inch long safety pins , Fig.

3

"A*

18 or more 2 inch long safety pins , Fig.

3 "B"

4 3-inch long safety pins, Fig. 3 "C"

1 magnetic finger ring or other

similar gimmick

1 billfold as the one used in the

previous effect "The Bends."

1 linking finger ring (optional)

1 magician's table (optional)

4

PSYCHO-MENTISIS

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

PERMUTATION OP MATTER ... cont.

PART I

Three examined and ungimmicked safety pins link in

the hands of a spectator!

PREPARATION: Take three of the 1-inch safety pins and

link them together and place them between the edges of the wallet
(with the hidden magnet) and out of sight and hold them in place
with a rubber band as in Pig. 2

PRESENTATION: Have the spectator choose any three

safety pins from a small dish of 1-inch safety pins and have them
examined, (these pins are of course ungimmicked)

Next take the three loose safety pins and place them on the

extreme end of the billfold away from the hidden magnet. Go through
the routine as done with the bent coins of placing the unlinked pins
into the hand of the spectator.

On the third try, place the three loose safety pins over

the magnet and throw the hidden linked pins into the
spectator’s hand.

This first part of the act should convince the spectator

that you are a magician and that you are using ordinary props
although this should not be mentioned.

Part I can be done anywhere. Part II is a table pre-

sentation and Part III can only be done over a magnetic field.

PART II

Three large safety pins link and unlink visibly. They link

and unlink in the hands of a spectator. They link into the
spectator's finger ring!

For smoothness in the presentation of this routine, it is

necessary to do Part II with the large 3-inch long safety pins and
then go into Part III by using the 2-inch pins. The reason will be
obvious to the reader as we proceed. If the reader does not own a
linking finger ring he can still do the effect with the
spectator's own ring.

One of the 3-inch safety pins is gimmicked and it is the only

pin gimmicked in the whole act of "Permutation of Matter. As
indicated in Fig. 4,

the pin is gimmicked by soldering the point

inside the head at "A" and cutting the bar at point
"B".

It is better to buy a gimmicked pin than to make

one at home.

The effect currently on the market called, "The

Linking Pins" by Jerry Andrus is highly recommended. The
routine by Andrus is tops. The safety pins visibly link
and unlink and in the spectators hands. Pour pins are
furnished with the routine. Three are unprepared and one
is gimmicked.

PSYCHO-MENTISIS

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

PERMUTATION OP MATTER .. PATT II ..... cont

#

If the reader owns a linking finger ring, proceed as

follows: Give out the 3 straight pins for examination, The
gimmicked pin is hiding out of sight behind a book or box or in
performer's pocket.

Take two of the straight pins and place them in your left

hand, but secretly link them into your linking finger ring. Then
say, "Look! they have linked into my wedding band! Of course they
will link into any ring. Let me borrow your ring for a moment." This
time you have switched for the gimmicked pin and pass it into the
spectator's ring.

You are now stuck holding two finger rings with linked

pins. You could very well proceed to link the two finger rings
together BUT that is not recommended as it would indeed be taxing
the spectator's credulity or gilding the Lilly but then it depends
on the atmosphere created so far.

It is best to unlink the pin from the spectator's ring by

rubbing the finger tip lightly over the gimmick bar and pushing
the finger ring out. Sea Pig. 5.

As you hand the ring back to the spectator tell him to choose

and inspect three safety pins from the other dish which contains the
2-inch long pins. While spectator is doing that you have ample time
to unlink the pins from your ring,

NOTE: All the magic is in the safety pins as far as the

spectator knows. He has seen the pins repeatedly link and unlink,
so it is no surprise that the pins also linked into the finger rings.
No suspicion, if any, has been directed to the finger rings. However
if the two finger rings are linked together, the spectator may
suspect that your innocent-looking wedding band is not so
innocent.

The spectator has already seen two examined pins linked

into a finger ring so when he sees a third, supposedly examined pin,
link into his own finger ring, the illusion is complete.

If the reader does not have a linking finger ring, he can

proceed as follows: Borrow the spectator's ring and pick up
two pins, the gimmick one and a straight one.
Link the gimmick pin into the ring and then link
the straight pin into the gimmicked pin.

Hold the ring up with the two pins held

together so that it looks like the two pins have
penetrated the ring, then shake the ring and the
straight pin will fall and form a chain with the
gimmick pin.

Fig. 5 shows the correct way to hold the

gimmick pin and ring prior to unlinking them. Just
rub the lower bar of the pin with the tip of your index finger
back and forth and then push the ring off.

PSYCHO-MENTISIS

AN AL MANN

EXCLUSIVE

6

PERMUTATION OP MATTER ... cont.

part II

Fig. 6 depicts a spectator's finger ring with

apparently two pins linked to it. Actually only the
gimmicked pin is linked to the ring and the other
straight pin is linked to the gimmick pin. The pins
are held in place momentarily by slight pressure of
the tip of the thumb or finger as the ring is
displayed, "hen the pressure is released the
straight pin will fall and form a chain so

that it

appears that the pin has magically penetrated both
the ring and the pin.

PART III

This phase of the routine is most fascinating

since ungimmicked pins appear to link slowly in mid
air before the eyes of the spectator!

To bring about this amazing effect and several others, the

performer must work over a 'magnetic' field, This could be
preferably in the magician's den but can also be done over a brief
case or over a tablet, etc.

Pig. 7 shows the top of the magician's table with two

magnetic fields at A and B, although only one is needed, a

second one comes in handy sometimes,

These magnetic fields are made by

cementing good size ring or horseshoe

magnets under the top of the table at the

desired spots, Even a bar magnet, say

about 1/2 by 1 by 2 inches will do.

NOTE: Credit for this idea is due to magician

J. van Rinkhuyzen (Rink) of Holland, His excellent
routine with paper clips appeared in Lewis Sanson's
"Close UP Magic, Volume II,

Any two or more objects made of soft metal

or steel will become induced with magnetism instantly
when held over the magnetic field.

Fig, 8 shows: A-safety pins. B- two

nails, C- two coins, the larger coin should
be held over the smaller, D- two keys.

The reader can readily see what

amazing effects can be done with this
principle.

After doing the coin bending or key

bending or nail bending act you can show
that the objects are still hot and have
become induced with your personal
magnetism (?)!

7

PSYCIIO-MENTISIS

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

PERMUTATION OP MATTER .....

cont. Part III

Not all metals can be magnetised. So the performer must

test the items he will use with a magnet.

If the performer is not good at doing a convincing

French-drop, he should use a magnetic finger ring in this
routine.

PRESENTATION: After the spectator has chosen 3 of the 2-inch

long safety pins, the magician shows that they can be linked by magic
as he links them together by magnetism. to do this the magician holds
the pins over the magnetic field, say about six inches over the table
top. The pins will link together as shown in Fig. 8 "A".

Here the performer can invite the spectator to try to do

the same with three other pins. The spectator of course fails
unless there is another magnet under his side.

Performer then takes the three pins from the spectator and

links them unto his to form a chain of six pins!

(before the act, performer has linked 3 pins together and

place them out of sight on his lap)

As performer displays his chain of six pins with his right

hand he secretly palms the three linked pins on his lap. Three of
the pins from the chain of six are given back to the spectator or
just placed on the table or into the dish of pins. The other three
pins the magician takes into his right hand one at a time where they
become attached to his magnetic ring OR otherwise he gets prepared
to do the French-drop and exchanges the three loose pins for the
three linked ones and throws the linked pins on the table for the
spectator to see. "They are linked!" you say.

NOTE!: Anything small item that has a piece of metal

embedded in it can be caused to stick together. Example: strips
of newspaper, playing cards, business cards.

8

PSYCHO-MENTISIS

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

THE SPIKES OP ASMODEUS

In which vie consider the bent nail act.

In the early 1950's, your author happened to visit

Abbott's New York City Conjuror's shop on 42nd street, Jim
Reneaux was behind the counter. We had been discussing the
blindfold act and turning walking sticks into live snakes when
we were interrupted by a gentleman with a heavy Mediterranean
accent. He told us about an act done with metal spikes.

The effect was that a bowl of steel nails or spikes are

passed out for examination and then the magician takes any one
and bites off a piece and spits it out,

I laughed at the gentleman and assumed he was having pipe

dreams. To my surprise I found out later that not only was the
nail act a fact but that an American magic dealer could supply
most of the props,

In the Genii for May 1960, Bascom Jones Jr. and Frederick

M, Shields treated on the bent nail act using 16-penny nails. This
act, however, was presented as a feat of strength. The magician bent
the solid nails with the fingers of one hand. Stuart Robson was the
supplier of the bent-nail act which came complete with bent nails.
Jack Floyd, a New Yorker is given credit for suggesting the use of
nails made of solder for easy bending after they are substituted for
the real steel nails. It is the solder nails that can actually be
bitten with the teeth and a piece of real nail spit out!

At this writing (1977) Doc Dougherty of 2037 Plainview

Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa, 15226, is selling a close-up nail act for $4.00
using 8-penny

(2 1/2 inches long) nails, complete with 3 nails

made of solder.

And now for our up-to date Uri Geller type nail act, First you should
make some solder nails, although that is not totally necessary. If
you make the solder nails they should be about 4 inches long or longer,
5 or 6 inch long nails would be better. These nails are made out of
soldering wire, cut to size and then a head and point are fashioned
by the aid of a hot pressing iron.

Needed are: One or two solder nails.

A bag full of 4 and 5 inch long nails, 6
4-penny nails which are 1 1/2 inch long An
assortment of bent nails in various

shapes. The billfold used in "The

Bends," A sheet of glass about 12 by 12
inches A few bent spikes. A paper bag with
a secret inside smaller

pocket

9

PSYCHO-MENTISIS

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

THE SPIKES 01? ASMODEUS .... cont.

PREPARATION: Prepare a grocery bag of a size to hold

about 12 nails 4

and $ inches long, with a smaller inside bag.

This inside bag is made of paper and cemented to the inside
of the bag.

Into the secret bag place one solder nail and one

slightly bent nail and one nail bent-double. These are the I).
and 5 inch nails, Fig. 9 shows various bent nails and one spike

Nails "A" and "C" go

into the secret inside
compartment together with
the solder nail which should
be about 4

or 4 1/2 inches

long.

All the nails must be

polished with an emery cloth
so that they resemble the
solder nail.

The other nails B, and D

and the spike E are later thrown on the floor and passed out to
the audience.

If you do the nail-up-the-nose bit and if your audience can

stomach it, then you need a special extra nail. This nail is about
5 or 6 inches long and polished and the point filed down round and
also nickel-plated if you wish. The act of driving a nail through your
nose is easy but not recommended for nice audiences as it is indeed
vulgar. Anyone can do it. All you have to do is try it. The nail
enters through one nostril and passes over the roof of the mouth,
the sinus cavity.

You must also bend into various shapes 3 l 1/2 inch long nails

and place these between the edges of your billfold which has a hidden
magnet in it as per fig. 2, and place a rubber band around it to hold
the bent nails in place.

Place the bag loaded with the iron nails and gimmicks on a

table on stage together with the plate of glass and you are ready.

THE PRESENTATION: On stage after the patter, the magician takes

the paper bag placing his right hand fingers into the bag and over
the secret pocket while the right thumb pinches the bag from the
outside.

The magician then turns the bag upside down over the plate

of glass thereby dumping its contents except for the gimmick nails
which are held back by the right hand,

This is the Bascom Jones presentation. The idea is that the

nails make much noise. Some of the nails fall to the floor making
more noise. The nails are then poured back into

PSYCHO-MENTISIS

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

10

THE SPIKES OP

ASMODEUS

..... cont.

the bag and some more nails drop to the floor. The plate of glass
which the magician held in his left hand is now placed aside and
the bag of nails is placed on the table.

Magician reaches into the bag and takes out a bunch of

straight nails plus the bent nail "A" and "C" as shown in Pig. 9.
Nail "C" is palmed in left hand and nail "A" is held together with
the rest of the straight nails in the left hand.

"Ladies and Gentleman, You no doubt have heard that some

magicians can bend solid steel spikes with their thoughts alone."
As magician says this he hits the microphone with one of the
straight nails to show their solidity.

"There is really nothing to it. All you have to do is wave

it in the air like this."

Magician demonstrates by doing the familiar sleight shown in

fig, 10. The nail is taken between the thumb and first finger and it
is moved up and down and wiggled sideways at the same time.

"Of course, this is only an optical illusion, the nail does

not bend at all," Here the magician replaces the nail into his
left hand and takes up another and says, "But
you must keep on trying."

Magician again replaces the nail in his

right hand and this time picks up

the partially

bent nail "A" but immediately starts wiggling the
nail so that the audience is not given a chance
to notice that it is bent,

"Perseverance pays off" says the

magician as he stops the movements and keeps the
bent nail covered by his hand and begins to rub
the nail and then shows it to be bent!

Magician passes the bent nail to the

audience for a souvenir. Next he approaches the
bag again and takes up more nails so that he now holds about six or
eight nails in his left hand together with the solder nail and the
bent-over nail "C".

Magician calls a spectator from the audience to come on stage

and allots him to inspect some nails. Here the magician gives the
spectator about four or five nails to hold in his hand and ask him if
they are solid and to try to bend them by rubbing them. Magician lets
the spectator keep one nail and the rest are placed back into the bag.
Magician is now holding in his hands only the solder nail and the
bent-double nail palmed in his left hand. The spectator is of course
standing on the performer's right side of the stage wing so that the
performer's back of left hand is to audience.

Both the magician and the spectator now rub their nails

together. "Now you will see the nails start to bend. Mine is

11

PSYCHQ-MENTISIS

AN AL MANN Exclusive;

THIS SPIKES OP ASMODEUS ..... cont.

already bending. How is yours?" At this point the magician shows
that his nail is partially bent like in Pig. 9 "B".

Performer places the partially bent solder nail back behind

his left hand and continues to rub it and in the process he actually
bends the solder nail till it doubles up to make it easy for palming
and exchanges nails.

"Any luck yet?" The spectator of course cannot bend his

nail by rubbing it.

Magician then shows his solid iron nail bent double and gives

it out to the audience.

The magician addresses his assistant on stage saying, "The

reason you have not succeeded is because the nail is too big for you.
You have to start learning this business with small nails. Here
are some small nails."

The magician takes out three 1 1/2

inch long finishing

nails and shows them to the audience,

For this experiment, make sure that you do use finishing

nails. Any other type of nail will not do. You have beforehand
secreted three bent finishing nails between the edges of your
magnetic billfold. These three nails are bent in different shapes.
One is bent double, a second one is bent in a "V" shape and the third
is bent like a pretzel.

The illusion is perfect in this presentation. First, the

magician bends a large metal nail slightly and passes it out to the
audience . Next he bends another large nail till it doubles and
lastly he is forced to switch to tiny nails because his assistant
is a novice at the art.

The magician then hands the three small nails to his

assistant, "Please examine these nails but do not bent them with
your fingers. I am going to teach you to bend nails with the power
of your thought alone."

"Have you and I ever got before? Aren't you glad? etc, as

magician takes out his wallet and removes the rubber band. "Place
the nails on my wallet. I do not want to touch them. Please close
your fist as soon as I drop the nails in your hand and close your
eyes and concentrate in bending metal." The magician continues as
in "The Bends" effect.

For this effect you will have to work with your

right side to the audience.

After the presentation some bent nails and spikes are

strewn about the stage, dressing room and theatre seats. Someone
will pick them up. Take them home and say they saw you bend them.
Some will sell them. It is good publicity

Some rusty bent nails and spikes would be on display in

a glass case in the lobby,

12

PSYCHO-MBNTISIS

AIT AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

THE FRANKENSTEIN AFFAIR In which we consider

the regeneration of dead bodies !

Nothing new, of course! Magician's, from the dawn of

civilization, have been producing live birds out of thin air, rabbits
out of empty hats and rejoining decapitated heads on their victims,

In the Frankenstein Affair, we do the work close-up in

the magician's den and show the spectators some positive
results!

The magician states that he has succeeded in bringing dead

bodies back to life,

"I have already succeeded with microscopic life (magician

points to his microscope on the shelf), I have revived dead microbes
ana bacteria and have now progressed to where I can revive dead
insects as large as ants and flies, I have discovered what is, to
the insects, the elixir of regeneration (here the magician shows the
spectators a test tube with crystals)."

"If you are interested I would like to demonstrate some

of ray experiments to you,"

"Here is a jar full of the dead bodies of ants. Please

watch me carefully, I will place a few of these dead ants into

a clean glass. Sprinkle some of my magic crystals and stir the

lot "

• Sure enough as everyone watches some of the ants come

to life and crawl out of the glass and unto the table,

"I find this relatively easy. What is giving me more

trouble are the larger insects like the house fly. Here is a

dead fly that I will try to revive right now but I have no

guaranty that it will work,"

The magician sprinkles the fly with his magic crystals

and soon the fly comes to life!

That is the effect of the "Frankenstein Affair" as presented

in the magician's don. The microbes come to life in the mind of the
spectator. The ants come to life right before his eyes, but the fly
sometimes comes to life and sometimes not,

What you need: 1 jar half full of dead ants,

about 6 live ants, small 1 live
house fly, fat, in a small

glass bottle with holes in the cap 1 test
tube with salt crystals 1 chemists beaker
or drinking glass 1 Corinda's Billet
pencil 1 microscope (cheap) sitting on
shelf, optional,

13

PSYCHO-MENTISIS

All AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

THE FRANKENSTEIN AFFAIR ..... cont.

THE PREPARATION: with a pair of tweezers, drop about 6 live ants

into the Corinda Billet pencil chamber and cover it with a rubber
eraser cap. Place the pencil in your inside coat pocket. The jar with
dead ants, the test tube with salt crystals and the drinking glass
are all in sight on the table,

The live fly in its bottle are in your pants pocket.

THE PRESENTATION: Patter about your experiments with dead

bodies, microbes, bacteria, etc. Offer to demonstrate.

Show the jar with the dead ants and pour some on the table to

prove that they are dead. You may want to give the spectators a
magnifying glass to look at the dead ants,

Ask someone to pour some of the dead ants into the clean glass

or beaker. Show the 'magic' crystals in the test tube and sprinkle
some crystals into the glass.

Secretly remove the rubber eraser from the billet pencil and

immediately stick the pencil amongst the dead ants and stir the
mess,

NOTE: The billet pencil has a plunger that drops by gravity

so that all you have to do is to invert the pencil and the plunger
will drop and push out the ants.

Next just sit and watch for movements amongst the dead ants

ana soon the live ants will come to the surface.

"They do not all come to life" says the magician, "But I am happy

with the partial success. Imagine being able to do that with human
bodies!"

With the fly, the act is a bit different. Let the spectators

play with the live ants, while you excuse yourself to wash your hands
for the next experiment. Caution the spectators not to allow the ants
to escape as you want to study them to see how long they live.

While in the bath room you must submerge the bottle with the

live fly under water until it stops moving. Then take out the fly
and bring it into your den and drop it on the table, Sprinkle some
'magic

1

crystals (salt) over it and it should soon come back to life.

If the fly comes alive it means it was not dead but just water-logged.
The salt crystals absorb the water out of the fly. If the fly does
not come to life it means you held it under water too long and is
now dead.

The vice of the billet pencil to stir the mess seems rational

since the dead ants and the salt are dry. But there must be many other
x-rays to introduce the live ants into the glass.

If the reader does not own a billet pencil and desires one

they are available at

$4.50 from Al Mann Exclusives.

Other insects recommended for this experiment instead of

ants are lady bugs, the small ones.

PSYCH0-MENTISIS

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

IMPONDERABLE ENEMY

A discussion on the Abnormal Lift.

The phenomena of the

!

Abnormal Lift

1

is something we seldom

read about, very rarely see and no one can explain.

A few months ago, your author was entertaining a nice group

of friends and new acquaintances. I did O'Daneven's Secret and
Out-of-This-World with a borrowed and shuffled deck. The card trick
made the ladies quite nervous as they questioned what forces had
been at play since they had mysteriously separated the red cards
from the black.

Next I did the Flight of the Psycards. Everyone in the

audience new 'some

1

card tricks, yet the Plight of the Psycards

baffled every one so completely that they wrote letters to each
other days later saying that the effect had no rational
explanation.

However, they were unaware that I had been just as

impressed by an old gentleman who was a retired civil servant. He
had travelled much and knew a few tricks of magic that he had done
many times. One of the tricks was the 'abnormal lift.' I encouraged
him to demonstrate it. I had read a lot about it and knew what it
was but had never taken the time to investigate it. The test was
repeated several times with different people. Your author who
weighs 212 pounds was lifted effortlessly by four persons using
only their index fingers'

It did not feel like being lifted but rather I felt I

was floating up in a soft cushion. There was no strain at all
at the four places where the four persons had placed their
fingers to lift me. It was an amazing experience.

This demonstration took place before I performed my card

tricks. Amazingly enough the persons present were not at all
impressed by the abnormal lift demonstration because it was
overshadowed with my feats of unexplainable magic, the card
tricks.

Actually the abnormal lift does not look too impressive

until someone analyses what actually happened.

Have you ever tried to lift a 50 Id. dumbbell? If you are

not a weight-lifter you are in danger of hurting or breaking an arm
or your back in the attempt. A friend of mine once ridiculed a
weight-lifter who was working out with 45

lb. dumbbells. The

dumbbells as they lay on the floor looked most harmless and easy
to lift. My friend said there was nothing to it as he reached over
to pick up one dumbbell with one arm and almost collapsed not only
from the strain but from the shock. Not only did he failed to lift
the weight but he almost toppled over head over heels,

If a person tries to lift a 50-lb weight with only his two

extended index fingers he may break them.

15

PSYCH0-MSNTISIS

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

IMPONDERABLE ENERGY .... cont.

The four persons who lifted me were each handling 53

pounds;

No amount of explanation is possible to account for the

act. Some say it is concerted effort,

Burling Hull and Hereward Garrington once did the abnormal

lift on a weighing scale and said there was a big difference in the
recorded weight when the person was lifted, Whether anyone wants
to admit it or not, there are still unknown forces surrounding us,
Radio and television were unknown forces just a few decades ago!

Following is the way the test was done on me;

I sat on a chair with my feet square on the floor, four

persons, one of them a woman, were instructed to clasp their hands
together like a vice, extending their first two fingers out together
like in fig. 11, Two persons placed their two index fingers under
my knees and the other two under my arm pits for a trial. There were
no breathing exercises. All four persons were then told to place
their hands over my head like a pyramid of hands and when the
performer said "Go they all removed their hands from my head,
clasped them and lifted me. I repeat that it was a most amazing
experience.

Since the test is being taught to children in some schools,

the test may have lost some of it's entertaining value for the
theatre mentalist, BUT there are many ways of dressing up this
principle so it will always be a baffling test for many,

Professor Nika writing in the 4th volume of Psycho-Gizmo,

does the test with the person lying down on a six-foot table. He uses
6 persons, three on each side to do the lifting, Nika also describes
the same method as shown in fig. 11.

East Indian magicians are amazing

people doing the lift by lifting a 50-lb rock
with pressure of the tips of the index fingers,

The Abnormal Lift experiments are excellent to

do at anytime anywhere in combination with any
psychic show,

Perhaps some enterprising future psychic can

try lifting a small car. Just divide the weight of the
car by 50 to arrive at the approximate number of
persons needed!

Worldwide fame awaits the one who tries and

succeeds,

PSYCHO-MENTISIS

All AL MANN EXCLUSIVES

THE REACH OP THE MIND

16

Another look at the mystery of the pendulums.

The pendulums in bottles was treated in "Mental—Ettes." The
behaviour of a pendulum inside a bottle is a deep

mystery for the observer.

A recent experiment is as

follows:

A lady came in for a

hypnotic
prescription-session, To
test her suggestibility she
was told to choose one of
six numbered bottles on a
small tray-table. While the
operator sat some 10 feet
away, she was told to place
her ten fingers on the top
of the table, stare at the
pendulum and will it to move
and swing. Soon the
pendulum began to swing
until it stroke the side of the bottle.
While the pendulum continued to strike the bottle the sitter was
told to take a quid, look at the other pendulums which were
motionless,

The sitter refused to believe that she was causing the

movements of the pendulum and accused the operator of being
responsible for them.

The atmosphere of the séance room and the presence and

reputation of the magician help to deepen the mystery.

No one has yet noticed or commented on the fact that the strings

on the pendulums are all of different lengths.

The apparatus shown in fig, 12 shows the pendulums to be of equal

length yet that is not the case at all. There is no doubt that the
box shown would make the pendulum effect more mysterious. The
apparatus is of simple construction so that the performer can
dismantle it to show that there are no hidden motors, clockworks
or strings.

It is made of four piece of transparent Plexiglas, which make

the sides and front and back panels. The top 4

or 5 inches of those

panels are painted black (A) to hide the fact that the inside board
is laying diagonally. The pendulums are suspended from the inside
board about 3 inches apart.

The box measures 3 by 12 by 19 inches, The longer pendulum

is 10 inches long and the shortest about six inches long.

The weights are made from fish line weights and painted in

different colours, The whole structure can be held together by top
and bottom frames.

17

PSYCHO-MENTISIS

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

THE REACH OF THE MIND .... cont.

The idea of the apparatus pictured in fig. 12 is that the

pendulums appear to be all of equal length. It is questionable
whether this is an improvement over the pendulums sealed in bottles.

When the apparatus is dismantled the board with the

pendulums is held in the same relative position or more to the
vertical. Since the spectators do not know what to look for they will
not notice anything different with the pendulums.

For the presentation the sitter sits in front of the

pendulums and places his finger tips on the top of the. table and
wills any one of the pendulums to move. The pendulum is willed to
move back and forth until it strikes the glass and makes a bell-like
sound,

This is one effect where the magic is in the mind of the

sitter and it amazes them!

MERLIN'S MAGIC MARIONETTES

With Merlin's Marionettes, the operator is able

to prove his telekinetic powers. The dolls move on the
command of their master, the magician.

Merlin's dolls do not walk or dance, but they do

wiggle and move their heads and hands. Nobody else can
make them move unless they know the secret,

The Secret: Figure 14 gives the secret away. Ring

magnets on a stick. When the ring magnets are placed
on a stick with their poles reversed they become
floating magnets.

If another magnet is passed close to it, like

below the table, the rings become attracted by the
bigger magnet and they move. The extreme sides or ends
of the ring magnets will move up and down by moving the
larger magnet back and force under the table top. If
the hand is passed closed to the floating magnets with
a magnet concealed in a ring or palm, the floating
magnets will move.

Put a dress and hat on the ring magnets and you

have a doll. The dress is not in one piece but each
ring magnet is covered with a separate piece of
different colour paper to make the dress,

The large magnet is strapped to the leg or

attached to the shoe. The hands of the dolls are made
from pipe cleaning wire,

18

PSYCHO-MENTISIS

AN

AL MANN EXCLUSIVB

THE SECRET OF

Thai ANCIENTS

IN which we consider:

LEVITATIONS! .... Ayy! There is a thought to

conjure with. The mention of it makes the sceptics scratch
their heads. Houdini attempted to debunk Home's levitation
feats but his explanations fell on deaf ears.

Witnesses said that Home floated in a horizontal

position right out a window into space, 70 feet above ground and
back through another window in the next room] London, 1868.

In 1882 (Jan, 17) magician Kellar attended a séance

given by Eglinton, the English medium who succeeded Henry Slade
in Europe, During the séance, Kellar was holding Eglinton's left
hand when the medium started to float up so high that he pulled
Kellar up with him, Kellar had to climb onto the table to keep
a hold on Eglinton's hand!

Kellar stated, "I went as a sceptic, but I must own that

I came away utterly unable to explain, by natural means the
phenomena that I witnessed on Tuesday evening,"

No doubt that later Kellar learned the secret of

levitation as he put out a challenge to duplicate anything done
by a medium,

Saints and charlatans have levitated and teleported

themselves into the pages of history,

Ancient prophets as well as some modern ones claim they

have walked on water,

Present day wonder workers do not have to float on air

70 feet above ground to satisfy their sophisticated audiences,
All they need do is to lift themselves a few inches!

The average levitation of 200 saints in history is 20

inches. Some have flown quite high while others have only
hovered 2 inches above ground,

A non-magician friend and raconteur of bizarre tales told

the author the following:

"The gift of levitation does not come overnight, I spent

many years in profound meditation in the hopes of mastering the
divine art. It took me a long time just to know what I wanted.
It took me a long time just to get the feeling of what it was all
about. One does not oppose the established laws of gravity
utterly, I fasted and followed a rigorous self-discipline "and
denial. Finally I reached the stage known as the "one" with the
creator. This is a feeling of pure ecstasy. The "one" being
vibrates in a world of brilliant energy. The astral body projects
itself into other

19

PSYCHO-MENTISIS

AIT AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

LEVITATIONS .... cont.

worlds and other dimensions. After a number of out-of-body
experiences I noticed that my physical body also commenced to
take wing."

"I then approached a close friend and confided in him my great

secret. I told him I had mastered the art of Levitation. That I could
demonstrate it to him but although he may not be able to see it I
could prove it to him."

"I told him to try to pass a newspaper under my shoes, slowly

and carefully, while I stood in the centre of the room in a trance.
I asked him to proceed very slowly, an inch at a time."

"It took him a few minutes just to be able to push the

newspaper sheet under half my shoes. Then with a. superhuman mental
effort I completely cleared the floor and my friend was able to pull
the newspaper sheet clear through under my shoes."

The reader must admit that is some patter story and a good

presentation theme even though my anonymous friend may be
suspected of being "on" something.

THE ILLUSION

Now we are going to create the illusion of levitation

by

combining my friends patter story and newspaper sheet idea with an
idea in U.F. Grant's booklet "Bodies in Orbit." U. F. Grant's mss
is on levitation ideas and is highly recommended.

EFFECT: Magician patters about levitations and his latest

achievements along that line,

A sheet of newspaper is placed over a foot stool and then

the magician stands on the newspaper over the stool and calls on
two members of the audience to come on stage and pull on the
newspaper sheet. The sheet comes through. Next the magician
levitates his whole body off the stool for about 2 or 3 inches.

THE METHOD: You need:

1 stool, 10 inches high. The seat piece should be about

3 inches thick. The stool must be strong enough
to support the magician standing on two feet or
one foot without toppling over. Painted a shiny
silver colour.

1 cloth curtain, about if. by 6 feet depending on the size

of the magician. Opaque white colour fitted with
an extension arm and a top rod to hold the curtain
square.

1 shopping bag, specially constructed. Size 12 inches

PSYCHO-MSNTISIS

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

LIMITATIONS ... cont.

wide, 14 inches long and 20 inches high. The bag
is re-enforced on the inside with cardboard so
that it remains open like a box. The bag is
painted a bright colour on the front only and
black on the other three sides.

1 sheet of newspaper, and one assistant (optional).

1 pair dummy shoes with pant legs (optional)

THE PRESENTATION: During the patter the assistant comes out

with the shopping bag (bright colour side to audience) and takes
out the stool and places it behind the magician, Then he unrolls
the cloth curtain to inspect it and under cover of the curtain turns
the shopping bag around so that the black colour from the sides
and back of the bag meld with the black back drop (stage curtail).
The shopping bag is placed just a few inches, say four, behind
the stool.

Magician next places the newspaper sheet over the

stool and stands on it. He then calls on two volunteer members
of the audience ( one should be a confederate and the other a
lady) and instructs them on how to pull the paper.

Magician covers himself with the curtain and then steps back

and into the shopping bag while the newspaper sheet is pulled away
with a lot of mystic fanfare. Magician steps back onto the stool
and raises the cloth, thanks the assistants and dismisses the
lady.

Next the magician states he is going to try for a few more

inches as the time seems to be apropos. He covers himself with the
curtain again, steps back into the shopping bag and this time
raises the cloth so that the stool is seen.

The assistant passes a hoop or sword between the bottom of the

curtain and top of the stool to prove that the magician is really
floating. If the dummy shoes are used they can now be shown as
hanging just under the cloth. The magician then removes the dummy
shoes and places them behind the shopping bag and then steps onto
the stool so that the audience can actually see his shoes
descending anew. He then removes the curtain and takes his bow.
End of miracle.

The reader may surmise that he will not fool anyone with

the trick. Let me say that you do not need to. Some members of the
audience will say (kidding maybe) that they saw you levitate. The
story will spread. The newspapers will pick it up (as a lark perhaps)
and print it.

That, Gentlemen, is what levitations are all about.

Publicity.'

PSYCHO-MENTISIS

All AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

LEVITATIONS ... cont.

When Houdini made an elephant disappear in New York

City's Hippodrome he did not expect anyone to believe that the
elephant had actually vanished into thin air but he knew it would
create a sensation. It became the most talked about feat of
straight magic and made the headlines and that is all Houdini
wanted,

further Notes

The stool: The top piece or seat of the stool is 3 inches

thick. The reason for that is that part of it can be seen when the
magician hides behind the curtain and gives the illusion that it
was in sight at all times,

When the magician steps back into the shopping bag to do

the newspaper stunt, he only places one leg into the bag and rests
his other foot on top of the newspaper. That way when the
spectators pull on the newspaper they will feel some resistance
as the foot or shoe drag on it. Once the newspaper is pulled clear
the magician jumps back on the stool, an easy matter since he
already has one foot on it,

A false hand can be used for apparently holding the

curtain from the top edge. Actually the magician is manipulating
the curtain by the aid of the extension rod. The curtain of course
must remain motionless as much as possible,

For the second try at levitation, the performer pulls the

curtain a bit higher so that it is about 3 or four inches above
the top of the stool. Since the bag is ten inches higher than the
stool, the magician has some leeway.

If the dummy shoes and pant legs are to be used, be sure

to use real shoes of the exact duplicate of theories you are wearing
and also real pant legs. This dummy only needs about 3 inches of
pant leg. Many expensive illusions have failed to impress an
audience because the substituted dummy parts do not at all
resemble the real thing,

Thanks to U. F.

Grant, the author feels that this

inexpensive illusion is one of the best that can be presented by
a magician without having to resort to the well known levitation
that the public has seen over and over,

The illusion must be practiced many times before pre-

senting it,

22

PSYCHO-MEITTISIS

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

NOTES

THE BENDS: A small key can be used instead of a coin.

The Magician's Table: Some close-up table performers have their

own custom built table. These tables are just a few inches
higher than the regular table, The

extra inches gives the

magician a comfortable room for moving their legs and hands
under it.

Permutation of Matter: In Part II it is assumed that the

performer will first do the Jerry Andrus routine with the
safety pins.

The Nail Act: The nail-up-the-nose bit was mentioned only for

the sake of completeness. The novice must proceed with
this stunt at his own risk. The nail enters into the head
only for about 3 inches. Care must be taken against
injury and infection.

TIP: When a bent nail like the one shown in Pig. 9"B" is held
with the curved plain parallel to the line of sight of the
audience, the bend cannot be seen. If the magician then very
slowly rotates the nail with the tips of his first finger and
thumb, the nail will appear to bend visibly!

Merlin's Marionettes: Throw a handkerchief over the doll first

for a spooky start and then uncover the dolls.

The following items are available from Al Mann Exclusives:

Emerson and West magnetic finger ring and book
Corinda's billet pencil

The Linking Pins with the Jerry Andrus routine
"Psi-Flexion" the nail act by Doc Dougherty

The Frankenstein Affair: Have some test tubes or glass

boxes with some large insects like a praying mantis and say
that you revived it two weeks ago and it is still living!

THE BENDS: figure out how to bend a horseshoe by psi power

and then make sure the news media hears about it. A
changing tray is a good start.