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Written by

Michael Skinner Photographs By

Anne White Design Sr Layout by

Daniel McCarthy Published by

L & L Publishing P. 0. Box 100 Tahoma, Ca. 96 142

Publisher's Note: The photographs contained in this book are not of Michael Skinner's hands but were taken under his direction and blessing. Michael feels the text is clear enough that the photographs weren't even necessary, but included them a, a convenience, for you, the reader.

Special Thanks To: Roger Klause, Max Abrams, David Michael Evans, Gene Matsuura, Anne m t e , Barbara "Mac" Palmer, Stephen Falanga, Tania Vasina, Daniel McCarthy.

FIRST EDITION 0 1996 L & L PUBLISHING

No pan of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system now known, or to be invented, without the expressed written consent of the publishers. Printed and bound in the United States of America. 654321

DEDICATION I dedicate this book to my sister, Mary Ellen, and my three nieces, Terri, Chris and Julie. When they were young, the girls would look forward to Uncle Mike coming over to show them a few new effects.

Richard Saunder and Michael Skinner

The Business on the Business Card Prediction (1) The Mona Lisa Card Trick (4) The Conus Aces (6) Oil & Water Rides Again (9) Taking Our Lumps ( 16) A Deeper Mystery ( 18) New King Cut (20) On the Card to Wallet (24) Birthday Telepathy (29) The Mental Photography Deck (31) The Memorized Deck (35) The Monkey's Paw (37) One for the Boys (38) Torn & Restored Soda Straw Wrapper (40) The Boomerang Card (43) Nate Leipzig's Slap Aces (46) Aces Out of Another Dimension (49) Instant Replay (53) A Poker Deal (56) The School Boy Trick (60) Did You Wash Behind Your Ears? (66) The Trash Compactor (68) Top and Bottom Blackstone (70) A Needle in a Haystack (74) Knocking Out the Aces (76) The Cutting Edge (80) Rouge et Noir (84)

It was the first week of July, 1967, and I was sitting at my kitchen table relaxing after work. The phone rang. I answered, and heard a familiar, enthusiastic voice. "Larry, are you coming over to the Castle tonight?" "Well, I hadn't really thought about it, Professor." "You have to come here. There's a card man here who is really something." "No kidding. What's his name?" "His name's Skinner, but I'm telling you, to come on over."

Lany,you're going to love this.

You really have

"Sure thing, Professor. I'll be there soon." So I showered, jumped in my car, and within five minutes was walking into the Magic Castle. I went over to the Professor and asked, "Where is this guy?" He pointed. "See the fellow at the end of the bar?" "Sure." "That's the one. Go talk to him." I walked to the end of the bar and said, "Hi, my name's Larry. Are you Michael Skinner?" He said he was. I pulled out a pack of cards. "The Professor says you're good. Watch this." After finishing a new trick of mine, I asked what he could do, and he showed me. And he was wonderful. Of course, I might not have told him so right away-in those days I tended to be a little aggressive. Michael was as likable as he was accomplished, though, and all competitiveness soon vanished. I helped him rent an apartment next door to the Professor, and before long he became my best friend, as well as an essential part of the Castle scene. What has always impressed me most about Michael is the extent of his repertoire. He can do more tricks well than anyone else I've ever seen. Inside that handsome head is a veritable storehouse of excellent magic, whether effects of his own creation or effects selected and routined from outside sources. Michael has done all of magic a great service by providing-with the volume now before you-an extended tour around some of his most sought-after miracles and methods. But numerous as these may seem, rest assured that the items chosen represent a small

fraction of those available. From the first trick he showed me those many years ago, to the one I'll see him do on our next meeting, I will never cease to be amazed at the ongoing genius of my friend Michael Skinner. In my opinion Michael Skinner is one of the finest exponents of pure sleight of hand I have ever known. In Admiration,

n

Larry Jennings and Michael Skinner

I was thrilled when my dear friend, Michael Skinner, called a short time ago to say that he was writing his very first book on our mysterious art. Actually, a booklet of Michael's containing ten choice card effects entitled "Ten for Ten" was to appear ten years ago, but that's another story. Before I go further, I'd like to say that it's an honor to say a few words in this work, for Michael Skinner is unquestionably the finest sleight-of-hand performer in the world today. My first opportunity to meet him was at the P.C.A.M. Convention held in Hawaii during the Summer of 1972. Watching his performance bewildered all, and he performed with an artistry and deftness I had never seen before. We met shortly thereafter and became fast friends. On the last day of the Convention, a good friend and I invited both Michael and Dr. Sawa of Japan on a tour of the island of Oahu. As we drove along, they remarked very favorably on the beautiful sights which we pointed out. However, the amusing fact of the matter was that they very rarely looked up as they were deeply engaged in magic all the while. Even when we stopped to see the Revue at the Polynesian Cultural Center, the Hula Girls got little, if any, attention. Now, you talk about the love of the art of magic. A few months after the Convention I received a letter from Michael saying that he would be performing on a cruise ship that was to make ports-of-call on a few of the islands. The letter also stated that, if I was interested, perhaps we could get together to discuss our favorite subject, sleight-of-hand. This is all he had to say, and off I went on a plane at the end of each day to meet him at another island. These are wonderful memories of my early magic life, and Michael has been instrumental in instilling the finer points of our delicate art to me for many years. Michael Skinner is a quiet, unassuming gentleman who lives a somewhat private life. As a guest at his home on many occasionswhile in Las Vegas ,I've come to realize that here is an artist who lives and breathes magic twenty-four hours a day. It is his life, and the magical influence is everywhere, including his kitchen. There is only magic in the cabinets and drawers where people would normally keep their silverware and utensils. I wouldn't be one bit surprised if he kept his cases of cards in that unused oven of his. Being a practical man, he once said to me that a kitchen is quite unnecessary for him as he always dines out. The only item that is used, somewhat, is a coffee maker. And I do suspect that the refrigerator is being used to keep his stock of flash paper and, perhaps, a Weller Egg. When you witness a performance by Michael Skinner, you'll soon realize that he cares about each and every detail regarding the effect that is being presented. Woven throughout his routines are interesting stories that are essential to great magic. These are quite believable and truly capture the imagination of the audience. His style is slow and deliberate, he executes his sleights flawlessly, handles props elegantly, takes no chances, dresses immaculately, he's blessed with a deep resonant voice and is at all times is a gentleman. These valuable assets combined with invisible sleight-of-hand is magic of the highest order. His talents and persona remind me so much of the late, great Nate Leipzig. There is no doubt in my mind that Michael Skinner is the consummate artist of intimate magic. Allen Okawa Honolulu, Hawaii July, 1992

PREFACE Hello, brother magicians! It is with great pleasure that I present to you this volume,"Classic Sampler." I have decided to release a few of my effects to the fraternity. I hope you receive value for your investment. I plan to use this space to expand on my thoughts and views on performing and practicing close-up magic in general. I will try not to repeat what has been said in other books.

Practice New Sleights Practice new sleights. After mastering one, it becomes a habit to continue practicing the same one over and over, for instance the pass or Faro shuffle. We tend to follow the line of least resistance. We continue to practice the old sleight because it is easy, therefore, making no progress. When you have learned a difficult sleight to your satisfaction, work on a new one. You can do this at odd times ...while watching a movie in a theatre for instance, or while watching television alone in your home. Then in time you will have another new sleight to add to your repertoire.

Choosing An Effect Choose a good effect first, then practice the sleights necessary to perform it, not the other way around. Too many magicians practice a difficult sleight, then invent an effect, usually mediocre, to go with it. The effect should come first. Then learn the method.

Grouping Your Effects Charlie Miller gave me a tip years ago. He said to combine some of your effects in groups of two's and three's. This will enable you to remember a great deal more material. All you do is remember the first effect and the next two or three will be recalled instantly because each one is a part of a whole routine. Choose effects that blend well together. Of course, you don't do this with every effect. Some tricks are meant to stand alone. The effects that you decide to blend together will give your work a flow as well as enabling you to remember a great deal of material.

Practice Practice and perform a particular effect until you are completely satisfied with it. Then set it aside and work on a new one. Treat your effects like rare jewels. Learn them, perform them, and then set them aside in your jewel box for awhile and don't touch them. Work on new effects. Master them and then set those aside. Every so often, take out one of your jewels and polish and perform it for awhile, then put it back. Continue in this way and in time you will have a jewel box full of beautiful gems, polished routines to use for life.

Cleaning Up Now let's discuss cleaning up after the effect is over. A very important subject! I like to put it this way: "If you are going to drop a bomb on someone, plan your escape in advance." I will cite an example: Suppose you are buying a pack of cigarettes at a drugstore counter. Give the salesgirl a $5.00 bill. When she gives you your change, put the bills away in your wallet. Now set your wallet on the counter and pick up your change. Stack the change at your left fingertips and pretend to take the change in your right hand while performing the "French Drop." Apparently hand the change to the girl with your right hand while saying, "Iceep this for your trouble!" Now, very important! The coins are finger palmed in your left hand. Pick up your wallet with your left hand, thus covering the coins. Just hold the wallet in front of you. Do this before you show your right hand empty. When you open your right hand, the girl will be astonished. Next, she will glance at your left hand and see that you are just holding your wallet. She will then look at your face. Smile, and casually place your wallet and change carefully in your hip pocket. The point I'm making is that you have begun cleaning up before the effect has even taken place.

Change Pace Changing pace is a technique used in performing close-up magic in which you slow down and speed up your hand movements within the performance of a given effect. It can be likened to shifting the gears of a car to make driving more interesting. Many close-up performers work way too fast. This leads to nothing but confusion. To cite the Professor, Dai Vernon: "Confusion is not magic." By shifting speed in your hand movements you create a more interesting effect. You can actually feelthe effect taking place the same way that a jazz pianist can feel his improvisations. If you choose to perform a magical effect all in one tempo, it is far better to go slow than fast.

Magic for Magicians I particularly enjoy performing one type of card effect for magicians and an entirely different type for a lay audience. However, here's a presentational hook I devised for showing "magicians magic" to "normal people": Let's say I am performing for a group of laymen. I will choose three or four very commercial card effects. Now I will pause and say, "Ladies and gentlemen, you may or may not be aware of the fact that magicians attend magic conventions two or three times a year. Yes, we have Conventions the same as doctors, attorneys, accountants and salesmen. We get together from all parts of the country to eat, drink, and entertain one another with our magic. The effects that I would choose to perform for a brother magician are entirely different from those that I have just shown you. Perhaps you would like to see the difference?" At this point your spectator will invariably say that he would indeed like to see a magician-type trick. You have already made the thought intriguing to him. Now you have opened the door to perform and keep in practice all your favorite Faro shuffle effects, "down and under deals," and your favorite "pile" tricks. After performing one or two such tricks, stop and say, "And that is what I would do for another magician ...Now here's somethin. I hope vou'll reallv like." At this point the spectator will quite

often say, "But I liked the ones you just did!" Now perform a couple more commercial effects and end with a strong finish.

Perform Often Perform whenever a suitable occasion arises. It is only in this manner that you will develop timing, pace, misdirection, presentation, patter and the other facets that go into making a superlative performer. By performing at every opportunity you will, at times, meet many people who are bored with the jobs they are doing. You come along and jolt them out of their normal day, and they will remember it. The person will go home that evening and say to his or her spouse: "Honey, do you knowwhat happened to me today? I saw this guy do the most wonderful things. I hope he comes back again." Not only is extempore magic a great way to meet people, it opens doors both financial and social. It makes friends. Friends are so important in life. Good magic just makes people happy. So: 1. Read everything you can. 2.

Practice and perform.

3.

Fool the audience

4.

Smile readily.

5.

Presentation is everything.

6.

Have fun!

Michael Skinner Las Vegas, Nevada

entertain them. Both are necessary.

by William Murray We are sitting in a comer booth at Elaine's, a dimly-lit restaurant on the second floor of the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, watching Michael Skinner case the room. He moves quietly and purposefully about the premises like a big, amiable cat, not missing a thing, a bit wary but nevertheless secure in his control of the ambiance. Elaine's seats ninety-sixpeople, two-thirds of them at candlelit pink tablecloths under a large, low-hanging chandelier, the rest in comfortable, upholstered booths lining the mirrored walls. Tonight the room is about half full and very quiet, most of the diners middle-aged and eating in couples or small groups. Elaine's is one of the few quiet places to eat in Las Vegas, and no one seems eager for action or entertainment, certainly not from anyone who can perform instant miracles. Michael Skinner is an unassuming-looking, medium-sized man of about fifty, with curly, sandy-colored hair, who wears eyeglasses; dressed for the occasion in a black tuxedo with a ruffled shirtfront, he could easily pass as a member of the staff. Unnoticed by almost everyone, he takes less than five minutes to size everything up, sense the mood of the place, and return to the maitre d's post at the entrance to the room, where he pauses briefly before making his first move. "I walk up and smile," he said once, describing his technique. "I don't interrupt heated conversations and I stay away from macho types trying to impress their dates. I'm also wary of old people, who may have given up on their lives. Women and children are the easiest to approach, because they're more open to the unexpected. I say, 'Hi, I'm Michael, the resident magician. Perhaps you'd like to see a little magic. Compliments of the house, no charge, it goes with your dinner. I'll be happy to come by and we'll have a little fun.' I always stress the no charge, so the guy isn't thinking all during dinner and my performance how much it's going to cost him. So I take the pressure off him right away, but generally I'll get a tip anyhow. I'm paid a good salary, so I don't have to hustle." Michael doesn't have to worry about our booth, because he knows he's got it wired. My wife, Alice, and I have put this dinner party together as a way of showing Michael off to our friends, a couple from Los Angeles named Lynn and Gary Salt and a couple from Las Vegas, Sally and Paul Houdayer. Lynn and Gary are fans; they've seen Michael work once before and have come from L.A. specifically for the occasion. However, this will be the first time for Sally and Paul, who know very little about close-up and whose only previous exposure to magic has been to such glittery big-room acts as Siegfried and Roy or Doug Henning, magicians who like to saw women in half or make elephants disappear. I've told them that Michael will come to our table after we've finished eating and show us a few moves, but I'm enjoying the expectation that they'll also become fans, because they are friends who are open to the unusual and the unexpected. By the time Michael comes around, an hour or so later, we are ready for him. The table has been cleared and a chair added so that he can sit facing us. After introductions and a little preliminary chitchat, Michael goes to work. He knows that my wife is an excellent audience, so he turns first to her. "For Alice I'm going to perform my mother's favorite trick," he says, "the i

Hopping Thimbles." He holds out his right hand and shows us five white thimbles on the tips of his fingers. "When I recall how I used to practice this years ago, I could never decide how to begin. I thought maybe that better than having five on one hand-" he makes a quick crossing pass with his hands at chest level-" four and one would be better, one on the left and four on the right." A single thimble appears on the index finger of his left hand, leaving the four others in place. "But instead of having four on one"-another crossing pass-"maybe three and two would be better, two on the left and three on the right." This is now what we see, after which the ballet of fluttering hands and delicate, swooping passes continues, each move reflecting Michael's gentle, almost bemused patter, as if he himself is reacting in wonder at what we see. "Of course ...better than having the accent on my right hand ...perhaps the accent on the left would be more appropriate ...three and two, the logical continuation of four and one...Now, to move from the thumb back to the forefinger and from the forefinger back to the thumb. .." And in the end, seemingly without having touched each other or dipped below the level of his chest, the thimbles vanish and Michael holds out his empty hands to us. Alice, who is seated on Michael's left, no more than a couple of feet from the action of his hands, is sitting straight up, already bouncing up and down with delight. "Bless your heart," Michael says, grinning at her. The rest of us lean forward to see what the magician will do next. He reaches into a side pocket. "I have a number of dollar tokens, six of them," he says, spreading the coins out on the table before us. "I'll remove my finger ring as well." He places the silver ring next to the coins. "This is a favorite Chinese effect called Han Ping Chien, named after a great Chinese magician who created this illusion more than eighty years ago. Han Ping Chien. Watch closely now, because the closer you watch, the less you see, and the less you see, the better for me." He begins to describe what he's doing. "The ring goes in my right hand, along with three dollars. That's three dollars and a ring in my right ...and three in the left." The ring and the coins are now hidden in his clenched fists, thumbs up, held out well in front of him and apart. "Watch, Sally-three coins in my left and what's in the right? Three and the ring. Don't forget the ring. Now, as long as I keep my hands far apart, nothing can happen unless I move my thumbsw-he wiggles them several times-and they go from here ...all the way over here." He opens his hands to show us that the three tokens in his left hand now nestle with the other three and the ring in his right one. "Now, they say lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place, but occasionally it does, with perhaps a twist to the ending." Another wiggle of the thumbs and the three wandering coins have returned to his left hand. "We'll try it again. Han Ping Chien. The ring in the right hand along with three dollars...and in my left hand just three. Is that correct? But are you sure? I'm not sure, so let me check again ...Yes, we have three coins in the left...What's over here, Lynn?" He holds his right hand toward her. "Three, and don't forget the ring." He shows her his hand to confirm his patter, then closes it. "Now, as I keep the hands far apart, nothing can happen unless I move my thumbs like that-" he wiggles them again, then opens his hands to reveal that all the coins and the ring are in his left hand. Another close, another wiggle, and the coins and the ring move from left to right. He places them all on the table, as we laugh and applaud. "By the way," he continues, "if you walk through a slot-machine area in any casino, you seldom see people smiling." He slips his ring back on, then pushes his sleeves back to his elbows. "I'll pull these back, so it's easy on the eyes." He picks up the coins again, three in each hand, and makes two fists. "The reason they don't is: when they pull the handles, only one in ten pays off." He opens his hands and the coins have vanished. ii

I've always been fascinated by Michael Skinner's hands, because they seem to have a life of their own. They are small, white, and delicate-looking, with the long, perfectly manicured fingers of an ophthalmologist or a concert pianist. In action, as they maneuver small objects or shuffle a deckof cards, they can be mesmerizing. Not a single motion or flick of a finger is unsure or awkward. Even at rest, between moves, his hands convey an impression of power and control, as if like birds they could take off at any moment to accomplish miraculous feats of levitation and acrobatics.

I first became aware of Michael some ?? years ago, during a visit my wife and I made to the Magic Castle in Los Angeles. The Castle, on a hill above downtown Hollywood, is a lavishly decorated Victorian mansion that has become a landmark and a reference point for magicians from all over the world. Once a private home, the house was acquired about thirty years ago by two brothers who were both magic buffs, Milt and William Larsen; they converted the building into a combination museum and haven for devotees of magic in all its forms. The rooms are crammed with antique furnishings, gewgaws, and magical mementos, and decorated by old posters, photographs, prints, lithographs and paintings of long-vanished magicians and celebrated magic acts. The Castle,which is operated as a private club, has a top floor which contains a reference library and reading room open only to members and professional conjurers. Theoretically, only members are allowed to frequent the Castle, but it's not difficult to gain admission, and seven nights a week a sizable public is to be found wandering through the lower rooms admiring the exhibits, dining and drinking in the refreshment areas, and attending the scheduled magic acts in the theatre or in one of the smaller so-called closeup rooms devoted to intimate sleight of hand. Because the Castle also serves as a rendezvous for magicians, one or another of them can usually be found in some corner of the premises practicing their peculiar craft or putting on impromptu performances for their peers and passersby. While waiting to attend a performance in the main theatre one night, I noticed a pleasantlooking man, wearing thick glasses, sitting at a corner table near the bar. He was shuffling and riffling a deck of cards while quietly carrying on a conversation with a handful of admirers. From time to time he would fan the cards out to reveal various combinations of colors and numbers, then sweep them up, reshuffle, and fan them out again to show other sequences, and once he spread out a blank deck, scooped it up, reshuffled, and then restored the fan to display the familiar suits arrayed in perfect order.

I wasn't the only one in line entranced by what was going on at the corner table. "That's Michael Skinner," I heard someone behind me say. "He's the best with cards." The line was spoken with the sort of reverence that might have greeted the entrance of Wyatt Earp into a saloon frequented by fast guns. I stepped out of the line and joined the group around the magician, who, it turned out, was explaining some of the finer points of his moves to several fellow artists. "And this," he said, as I edged closer, "is the Erdnase Shift. First with two hands, then with one." The Erdnase Shift, Michael explained, is a maneuver that reverses the action of a cut. It's fairly simple to do, but is not widely used, even by card cheats, because it requires a favorable moment and a covering "patter" to disguise it, conditions not readily available in a big-money poker game. Nevertheless, Michael proceeded to execute the move so skillfully that not once in several demonstrations was I able to spot it. Nor was I able to fathom any of the other moves he went on to show us over the next twenty minutes--fancy cuts using "crimps" and "jogs," iii

bottom dealing, second dealing, cull shuffling involving from two to nine cards, "blinds," various methods of palming, riffles I had only seen in movies about riverboat gamblers or starring W. C. Fields. And as he performed all these small miracles, Michael continued to talk quietly, soothingly about what he was accomplishing, regarding the action of his hands with a bemused smile, as if he himself couldn't quite believe what he was seeing. I found out later over a drink with Michael that he was in his late thirties and regularly employed at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, where, as the resident conjurer, he strolled from table to table in the casino's main restaurants, performing on request. It was the perfect job for a closeup magician, he informed me, because it provided him with a regular income and left him enough free time to book himself into cruises and to work at conventions, the two other main sources of income available to him. One of the ironies of magic, he revealed, is that the real artists in the field, the prestidigitators who work with their hands and whose effects can only be achieved after thousands of hours of practice, can barely make a living from their skills, mainly because they can only perform in intimate settings for small audiences of no more than thirty people. The big bucks in the profession are reserved for what Skinner and his fellow closeup artists call pots-and-pans acts. There is little real skill involved and the emphasis is on showbiz flash. "It's mostly mirrors and construction," Michael had explained, "though you have to admire such acts as those of Siegfried and Roy, who work with big cats. The magic is in the presentation and the way they make the animals behave." Michael loves to talk about his craft in all its manifestations, especially about cards, which he refers to as "the poetry of magic." When I once asked him about the Erdnase Shift, he explained that it was named after the man who perfected it, S. W. Erdnase, the pseudonymous author of a little book called "The Expert at the Card Table," which was first published in 1902 under the title of "Artifice, Ruse, and Subterfuge at the Card Table." The author's real name was E. S. Andrews (S. W. Erdnase spelled backwards) and the reason he chose to hide behind a nom de plume is that, although his book has always been sold in stores as a legitimate work onmagic, it has also long been regarded as the definitive textbook on cheating at cards. "But you can't just read it and begin to cheat," Michael said. "You still have to practice and it takes a long time to become good at it." In his early years, when he was a struggling young magician in L. A., his skill with cards drew the attention of some local hustlers. "They could see the possibilities and they hired me a couple of times to deal big-money poker games for them," Michael once admitted. "All I had to do once or twice a night was to run in a cooler, which is a prearranged deck that ensures everybody gets a good hand. The betting is heavy, but the big pot, of course, goes to the shill, the house player. One guy came along who offered to pay me thousands and thousands of dollars to go on the road with him, and I was tempted. You have to remember I was starving to death and I thought I could do this for a few months, then quit with enough money to live on." He was talked out of it by Professor Dai Vernon, a celebrated older magician with whom he'd been studying. "He said to me, 'Michael, you're a fine artist and you want to remain one, with your fingers intact."' Michael turned down the offer, but occasionally he's still approached by players who want to make a big score. "Cheating has been around since the beginning of gambling," he said, and he pointed out that gamblers and magicians share a common terminology. Such phrases as "into the kick with Charlie" (palming a card and slipping it into your pocket), "gypsying a broad" (switching a card), "putting in a cold one" (introducing the cooler into the game), "a sucker

move" (making someone believe he's seeing something he isn't), "a table ribbon spread" (fanning a deck), "cutting up a touch" (dividing up the take), "heel and toe a check (walking out on a bill) are common to both worlds. "There's something of a good con artist in all magicians," Michael said. "After all, our skill requires fooling people, making them see what you want them to see." During our first meeting at the Castle, Michael asked to borrow my pen, a gold-plated Cross, then persuaded my wife to loan him her wedding ring. "Don't worry, I won't make it disappear," he said. "In fact, I'm going to give it back to you in a way you'll never forget." He handed Alice my pen and instructed her to hold it horizontally out in front of her while clasping it tightly in her fists at both ends. "Watch," he said, "Ring on a Stick." As we all focused on my pen, the magician held up Alice's ring, then made a swift pass that, Alice told me later, felt simply like a small breeze passing over the backs of her hands. Her ring now dangled from the center of the pen. "My God," Alice said, "I was holding it so hard my nails were digging into my palms." We'd begun the evening knowing very little about sleight of hand, but we were hooked. "Often young children come into dinner with their parents," Michael says to the four of us, "and when they do, I like to have some specific item that will really entrance the younger set. So if you folks will pretend for a moment that you're about nine years old, you can enjoy what children enjoy so well." He reaches into his pocket for his wallet, opens it, and produces a paper cocktail napkin. "Among the wonderful kitchen appliances we have today, Lynn, to make our homes more comfortable, we have radar ovens, electric dishwashers, frying pans, electric can openers, but the one kitchen appliance not everybody has is a trash compactor. I carry my own with me." He twists the open napkin into a spiral, then crumples it into a ball between his hands. "Watch closely,now, my own trash compactor." He opens his hands to reveal a tiny ball of paper the size of a pinhead lying in one open palm. Alice screams. "Wow," Michael says, as if he had surprised himself, too. "I'd be handy to have around the house." He closes his hand, opens it and the paper has completely disappeared. "I could eat you out of house and home and clean up my own mess. Handy and practical, as well as entertaining, eh?" We all applaud, laughing, except for Lynn, who has begun to look at the magician as if he might have dropped in on us from some other planet. "Cowboys used to roll their own cigarettes out of Bull Durham," Michael continues, producing a packet of cigarette papers.fromhis pocket. "I happen not to believe in cigarettes, but I'm going to show you what we do with these Bull Durham papers. Watch closely now." He takes a single sheet out of the booklet and tears it in half, then puts the pieces together and tears them in half again, as he chats: "Left side, right side...left...right...Once again now.. .By the way, did you read in the paper about the guy who lost his left side? He's all right now." A corny joke, but by this time we'd have laughed at anything he said. "Watch the paper ..." He shows us the four pieces, crumples them into a ball, then slowly opens the ball up to reveal the single sheet, restored. He shows us another of his mother's favorite effects, which is known in the profession as Jumping Gems but which he's named after Liberace. "He used to come and watch me work and was one of the nicest show-business personalities I've ever met," he explains. "He wouldn't ignore anybody. He'd remember names years later, and so even though he didn't give me thesev-he produces a small black case and removes two sticks made of black Lucite. I tell people they're Liberate's piano keys."

He blows on the sticks and diamond-colored stones appear set at each end. "But I'm getting ahead of the story," he says. "We don't need diamonds yet." He waves them in a small arc and the stones vanish. He holds the plain keys out toward us. "Boy loves girl, girl loves diamonds, boy looks for diamonds. Should it be this one?" A tiny move of the stick on the right and a diamond reappears. "Or this one?" There are now diamonds on both sides of the key. "His girlfriend says, 'Let me see.' So he lets her look them over." The diamonds vanish from the right stick and reappear on the left one. "She says, 'I'll keep one, take the other one back.' " One diamond disappears from her key and materializes on his. "So he takes it back and decides to keep it for himself. Oh, but she was the greedy one and soon had many diamonds from many boyfriends." He passes her key through his left fist and it reappears set with four stones, two on each side. "Sometimes she'll wear them in pairs." He shakes the stick once and the bottom stones join the two top ones. "Sometimes one in each ear and sometimes a pair in one ear." The gems move in concert with his patter, as if obeying commands. "She even tried to get our hero's solitaire, but all she ended up with was an old beat-up ruby or two." The diamonds disappear from her stick to be replaced by a single rose-colored stone. "But just between us, he had the diamonds all the time." A shake of the right stick and all four diamonds become visible on the key. "Liberace came in one time and presented me with another piano key, this one more elaborate than the first," Michael continues, putting away the original sticks and producing a single, larger one, set with six differently colored stones. "Sally, many jewels on this pretty key. I wonder if you would name a number from one to six, give me any number." "Three," Sally says. "That's one, two, three," Michael counts. "You stopped on the rose-colored stone. You could have a diamond, the amethyst, the emerald, but you chose the rose-colored stone. Watch." He turns the key over in one hand. "Because you like that rose-colored one, I'll give you many rose-colored stones." Smiling, he slowly turns it back to reveal a row of six rose gems. One of Michael's great heroes, he tells us, was the late master magician named Tony Slydini. He had appeared on television and in night clubs and had been a teacher of magic since 1947, celebrated in the profession for his gentle patter and understated style. "I don't like to disturb people," Slydini once said, describing his approach. "They don't know what I'm going to ask or how to answer me. So I deal with only one person. I let the rest of the audience relax and experience." Michael recalls that one of his great thrills when he was in his early twenties was attending a magic convention in New York City and seeing Slydini perform what he thought was "one of the most wondrous sights I've ever seen in my life, and I still feel that way--Slydinips Knotted Silks." "I have two handkerchiefs here, two silk handkerchiefs," he now says, producing two white squares from a side pocket. "They're both the same size and the same shape. Now, in a moment, I'm going to tie these handkerchiefs together very tightly, then I'm going to ask one of you to tie the opposite ends so we have a complete circle, 0.I