GEORGE
& BILL
This first appeared in Bascom's MagickExperiment
with this strange of-the-wall concept. You'll
find it can be employed as close-up as well
as stage presentations.
"As most
school-children know" you begin, "Abraham Lincoln
was known as Honest Abe. Yet, he was not the
most honest president we ever had.
"That
distinction goes to our first president, George
Washington. Remember the story of the cherry
tree?
"It's
said that Washington never told a lie. And he
looked with disfavor upon those who did. Let
me show you.
"But
I'll need to borrow a dollar bill. Don't worry,
you'll get it back, I'm not an evangelist and
I promise to do nothing to damage it."
With
the borrowed bill in your hands, you casually
fold it in half, with the picture on the outside,
crease it, and, then, unfold it again repeating
the process once more.
As you
do this, you approach a spectator.
"Sir,
I need you to think of a playing card. I don't
want to know the identity of the card, but I
will ask you some questions about it.
"You
can lie or tell the truth. In fact, sometimes
you can lie and at other times you may tell
the truth. You decide when to lie, when to tell
the truth.
"But
as you answer, I want you to look at the picture
of Honest George here, right in the eyes, so
he hears your response."
Satisfied
that the spectator understands what he is to
do, you ask your first question.
Is your
cad red?"
The spectator
of course, an answer either way, but we'll assume
he says "No."
You continue,
"I'm going to show the bill to the lady over
here. Does Honest George appear to be smiling
or frowning to you?"
She looks
and replies that Washington seems to be frowning.
"Oh,
oh," you say, as you turn back to the original
spectator. "It appears that you have upset George.
Since
nothing upsets him more than a lie, your card
must be black. My next question would be, is
your card a spade?"
This
time, when you have the lady look at the picture
of Washington, she indicates he appears to be
smiling.
And so
it goes, until you are able to reveal the identity
of the card.
With
the answer to each question, Washington appears
to correctly know whether the spectator is lying
or telling the truth.
The secret
has to do with how you fold the bill. Hold the
bill in front of you with George facing you.
Now fold the bill back on itself and make a
crease just to the left of his mouth. The bill
is folded so the face is on the outside. Crease
this first fold. Open the bill and again fold
it making a crease just to the right of the
mouth. Now you should have a furrow down the
center of his face.
Then,
by tilting the top half of the bill either towards
you or a away from you, causes George to smile
or frown. The effect is startling to say the
least.
The card
being thought of by the spectator may either
be one you force or have selected and glimpsed.
This
revelation of the card will be more incredible
if the selection is done pre-show. See my 'Card
Opener.'
Banachek
http://www.mentalist.com/
