'Mamma Mia Magic' Aldo
Colombini
SELECTED
CARDS
Another one of my all-time
favorites. This routine is very easy to do, has
comedy in it and builds up to a strong climax.
It is a good piece of impromptu magic. It was
published in my SAND CASTLE lecture notes (my
fourth lecture at the MAGIC CASTLE in Hollywood)
and it appeared in one of my videotapes.
EFFECT
A card is selected and
lost in the deck. A spectator is asked to think
of a name. The magician spells the name and the
selected card appears at the end of the spell
with a further surprise!
PERFORMANCE
Have a card selected
and controlled on the top or on the bottom. Glimpse
the card so that you know its identity (or you
may force it.)
Spread the cards between
the hands, faces toward you. Locate the selected
card (say the 7T) and then spread FOUR more cards
to the left of the selection. Place these five
cards face down on the table with the left hand
while asking, "Is your card a black one?" (say
the opposite color of the selected card.) "Oh,
then it must be red! "
Locate another Seven
and take ONE card behind it with the left hand.
Place these two cards face down onto the tabled
packet. Say, "Is your card a Diamond?" (name the
opposite suit.) "Then it must be a Heart!"
Locate another Seven
and spread THREE more cards behind it. Place these
four cards onto the tabled pile. Ask, "Is your
card an even number?" (opposite of the real value
of the card.) "Then it must be odd!" Finally,
locate the last Seven, spread TWO more cards behind
it and place these three cards onto the tabled
packet. Ask, "Is your card a face card" (always
the opposite.) "Then it must be a spot card!"
Pick up the tabled pile and drop it onto the deck.,
Say, "See, just by asking a few simple questions
I have narrowed it down to the selected card!"
Ask a MALE spectator
to think of a woman's name. Spell the word 'THE'
(counting singly so that you reverse the order
of the three cards) and place these three cards
in a pile on the table. Spell the word 'NAME'
by dealing singly four cards, forming a new pile
next to the other one. Spell the word 'IS' by
dealing two more cards and forming a third pile
on the table. On top of each packet you have a
Seven. The selected Seven is now FIFTH from the
top of the deck.
Ask the spectator to
reveal the name. Most American/English female
names are spelled with four or five letters. With
a FOUR letter name, spell it by dealing a card
for each letter from the top of the deck and then
turn over the NEXT (fifth) card to reveal the
selection. With a FIVE letter name, spell the
name and turn over the LAST card to reveal the
selected card.
Then turn over the top
card of each packet revealing the other three
Sevens.
If the name has more
than five letters, use the Fred G. Taylor Count.
Let's say the name is BARBARA. Spell the first
four letters "BARB" taking four cards into the
right hand WITHOUT reversing their order. Drop
these cards onto the table. Spell "ARA" taking
three more cards WITHOUT reversing the order and
drop these cards onto the tabled packet. Finish
as above.
NOTES
In the Fred G-Taylor
Count, ALWAYS take the top four cards first in
the right hand without reversing their order and
then the remaining amount to complete the spelling
of the name. It works like a beauty!
It may be a good idea
after you have spelled the name (in case you have
to use the special count) to spread the cards
face down on the table and spell the name out
again for the spectators, starting from the BOTTOM
card and counting up (to check if the spelling
is correct.)
American magicians are
lucky because most of the female names in this
country are spelled with four or five letters.
In Italy, my country, we have several names with
10 and even 15 letters!
Instead of placing the
cards on the table when finding the cards of the
same value, you may place them at the rear of
the deck.
During the search for
the cards, if you find a card of the same value
within the portion that must be removed, leave
it behind without including it in the count.
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