Karrell’s “TRICK-KEY” CASE
My favorite of the many brilliant conceptions of the late Al Koran is his effect where a finger ring is borrowed, vanished and reappears inside a leather key case, fastened to one of the key holders. As good as the effect is, the method (although good also), was not a practical method for me to use under the conditions that I normally work close-up. To re-set the original, version, you have to leave the room and remove your coat. The conditions that I work under seldom give me time to even reset a one-way force deck, therefore I searched for a simplification of method that would give me the same effect.
The following method is what I came up with. I’ve used it for a couple of years and have shared it with a few of my closest magic pals. Just recently, I decided before my method gets lost to oblivion (oblivion is a guy who gets credit for a lot of tricks), that I would share it with all of you. Buy yourself a nice leather key case. It should be the regular threefold type case. There’s a metal bar at the top of the center panel, and fastened to it are the snap-on ‘ swivel key holders. The center holder must be sprung open slightly so that it actually becomes a hook. Don’t open it too much, just enough so that a finger ring can be slipped on and off it easily. That’s all the ‘gaffing’ you need. You need no ‘reel’ or any other gimmick for my method. (How’s that for simplification?)
You’ll next need a method for vanishing the rings. I use a ring box, into which I place the borrowed ring, and then as the box is closed, the ring is stolen out. This super move is the brain-child of my old buddy Walt Rollins, and is fully described in a trick of Walt’s put out by Magic Inc. called “Ring-O.” You should have this anyway, but in case you don’t, you could use the old dodge (since I work a lot of shows for a car company of the same name, I use the word a lot) of having a duplicate ring sewn into a little corner pocket of your handkerchief.
Now, back to the key case. Put keys on all the holders (except the one you opened up). I use the aluminum keys they sell now in bright colors. You twist the center hook outside of the case, and then snap the case together leaving the “hook” outside (see drawing). The placement of the key case, I leave to you. You might want to put it in your side coat (hooks down) on my left side, just under my coat.
WORKING:
Borrow the ring. Apparently place it in the ring box or under the hanky. Either way the ring ends up secretly palmed in your right hand. The right hand reaches for the key case and at the same time slips the ring onto the hook. I’ve found the best way to do this is to push the ring all the way up on the shank of the hook, and then as you pull the ring downward it will slip onto the hook. (Fig. 2.) The right hand then raises the case with the key concealed in the right palm (Fig. 3.). By this time, the ring has vanished and the magi says “Sorry, but I’ll give you my car instead. That’s if you can pick out the key that starts it.” I’ve put the patter before the move, so here’s the move.
As you lift the key case into view, the back of hand is towards spectators in order to hide the ring. The case can be revolved between the thumb and first finger without the ring showing. After the finish line of the patter, unsnap the case with your left thumb and finger and pull the case slightly to the left. This will pull the ring from your right fingers into the rest of the bunch of keys as they fall from the case. After they see the ring, you (with some pretended difficulty please) remove the ring for them.
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