PAGES OF THE PAST PLUGGED INTO THE PRESENT

Some Card Moves and Card Routines," the material that began its chapter-
by-chapter serialization in M-U-M in September of 1973, and would even-
tually be published by Lou Tannen in 1976 as The Doc and His Deck.
Dr. Taub claimed no originality for the many moves, sleights, routines.
and effects he described from month to month, and there were no credits
whatsoever for this particular Do-as-I-Do offering, which was titled "The
Four Coincidences."
Most magicians know a version of You-Do-As-I-Do and have per-
formed it. In fact, most cardmen know several versions and will happily
admit that it's one of the first great card tricks they added to their repertoire.
But like many spectacularly popular tricks that quickly attain classic status.
its provenance quickly becomes fuzzy or non-existent. Its basic premise and
method has been explained in numerous references, most notably in
Greater Magic (1938), Expert Card Technique (1940), and the Tarbell
Course in Magic.
John Northern Hilliard wrote: "The trick is simple in structure, the plot
is clean-cut and convincing, and the various subtleties that have been intro-
duced make this card trick an almost incredible mystery." Some brilliant,
unsung magician took a simple location effect, using a key card, and dis-
guised it by creating a wonderful, interactive drama where the perceived
effect is "sympathetic magic" rather than just a pedestrian location. The plot
is apparently quite old. Hilliard said that "the earliest exemplar of this trick
that I have been able to find dates back before the time of Robert-Houdin."
The Do-As-I-Do plot has also been done with just about every object

T
all Texan Walter "Zaney" Blaney was "Magician of the Month" and used by magicians, including versions performed over the telephone. But
cover boy for the January 1975 issue. The "M-U-M's Magic" section when George Engel's quadruple-ending version appeared in Hugard's
featured "A Simple Silk Fountain" by Father Bandy, "Everybody's Magic Monthly (May 1949), the trick got a new lease on life and spawned
Card" by Charlie Holdefer, "All About Linking Rings" by Father Bandy, numerous variations. Readers unfamiliar with this enhancement will have
"How Not to Select a Security on the New York Stock Exchange" by two versions to compare and eventually use. The first. The Four
Maurice Scharman, "Homemade Vanishing Bowl of Water" by Steven L. Coincidences, is illustrated with Dr. Taub's original drawings; the second.
Smith, and "You Do as I Do Card Routines," by Jacob Taub, M.D. The lat- Kitchen Synch, is a creation of Tom Frame and is described by Jon
ter was actually the 17th and 18th installments of "An Illustrated Primer of Racherbaumer, with photographs by Jessica Hack.

The Four Coincidences

By Jacob Taub, M.D.
This is a Do-as-I-Do effect using a red- your assistant to do likewise with his deck. Se- is now the top card of your deck.
backed and a blue-backed deck of similar cretly glimpse the bottom card of your pack and Exchange decks with your assistant.
design and size. Your assistant chooses either then bring it to the top with the shuffle before "Now," you state, "continue to follow my ex-
one; you take the other. exchanging decks. Let us assume that the card ample. Hold the deck in your left hand, face
Overhand shuffle your deck and instruct is the AD, which becomes the locator card and clown with the short side toward you. Grip the
38 MUM August 2007
 deck, bringing the
bottom card to the
top. You are reversing
the order of your
packet and timing
your countdown with
his without counting
your cards. Out of the
comer of your eye you
are secretly tallying
his count and just
before your assistant
reaches his last card
quickly finish your count-down, and openly
Diamonds) and remove the assis- state the number that tallies with his count.
tant's remembered card, the King of His reaction is usually one or surprise and
Spades, from behind it, and place he will remark, "/ have the same number of
this face down on the table as your cards in my packet." And you will reply. "That
selected card. is the first coincidence."
Close the fan, square up the deck Instruct your assistant to return the packet
and place it face down on the table to the right side of the deck. You do the same
to the right of your King of Spades. with yours. Now tell him to turn up the top card
Now both decks and selected cards of the packet on the left. It will be the Two of
are in similar positions and the top Diamonds. You turn up the top card of the
and bottom cards of each deck and packet on the left side of your selected card and
the single cards next to them are reveal another Two of Diamonds. Say, "That is
identical. the second coincidence!"
Tell your assistant, "Cut approximately half Instruct him to turn up the top card of the
near end with the right hand and draw out a off the top of your deck and place it on the right side packet, the Six of Spades. Turn up the
packet of cards from the middle." (Illustration other side of your selected card. I will do the top card of your corresponding packet reveal-
1) "Look at and remember the bottom card of same with my deck. Now pick up the bottom ing your Six of Spades, adding. "That is the
this packet." (Illustration 2) "Then place the half the one to the right of your card, and third coincidence."
packet on top of your deck. Now we will count it down on the table to see how many Finally instruct him to turn up the single
exchange decks again." cards it contains. Count it to yourself as I am card between his packets, the King of Spades,
The assistant's selected card, say the King of doing with my packet." and as you turn up your single card also reveal-
Spades, is now on top of the locator card. You The purpose of the countdown is to reverse ing a King of Spades, you say, "That is the
have also drawn out a packet from the middle of the order of the cards in the bottom half of the fourth coincidence!"
your deck, looked at the bottom without bother-
ing to remember the card as misdirection to
impress your assistant that you are both doing
identical things. However, secretly glimpse the
top card of your packet (Illustration 3).
Suppose that the glimpsed card is the Two
of Diamonds. Remember it. Remove the pack-
SAMrspotligh
et and toss it on top of your deck. Next, get a
glimpse of the bottom card. Suppose it is the Joannie Lehr has been the Secretary/
Six of Spades. Remember it. You are now Treasurette for the Dallas Magic Circle
remembering two cards — the Two of Assembly 13 since 1977 - with the ex-
Diamonds and Six of Spades. ception of the two years she served as *
"Now," you continue, "the decks have been vice president and then president, M^
exchanged. Please fan open the deck with the You'd better not count years or
cards facing you, find your card and place it she'll be angry. She not only keeps
face down on the table. Do not disturb the the books on membership and
order of the cards, just close the fan and place money, but is instrumental our
the deck face down on the table to the right of clubs participation in three major
your card." Dallas conventions. Our social '.-.
While the assistant is looking for his card in activities like holiday meetings
your pack, fan open his deck and first find the run smooth as silk thanks to her \" '
Two of Diamonds and the Six of Spades and expertise in planning and prodding.
place them to the top and bottom, respectively.
Next, find the locator card (Ace of
August 2007 MUM 39
 .•*?

Kitchen Synch
By Tom Frame
This is Frame's methodological tweak of This helps to prevent them from noticing the
George Engel's Do As I Do from Hugard's tiny discrepancies that occur.
Magic Monthly (May 1949). His handling Say, "You and I are going to work togeth-
eliminates the need to spread the deck face up er. Ready?" Perform the following actions as
to spot the top and bottom cards. And you are you direct your participant. "Pick up the deck
not forced to frantically search through your and hold it so that the faces are toward you.
participant's deck, find two force cards and Using both hands, spread the deck into a fan
reposition them to the top and bottom, while so that you can see all of the faces. Examine
purportedly looking for your card. the cards until you find one card that really
Frame uses this effect in the middle of his floats your boat."
card act. It provides a slower-paced, quieter Continue: "When you find this special
interlude that gives the crowd a moment to card, grip the fan with one hand and use your
catch their breath, a welcomed respite from free hand to pull the card up and half-way out
his typical verbal onslaught. The quiet pro- of the fan. Just leave it sticking out of the fan
vides space in which the suspense builds, and so that the crowd can get a look at it. You're
it fosters the eerie feeling that is evoked as the doing fine. The crowd loves you.
effect unfolds. "Now carefully close the fan, leaving your
You need a red and a blue deck. To set up. card poking out. Pull your card out of the deck
position the (for example) Ace of Spades on and place it on the table in front of you.
top of the red deck, and the Two of Spades on Finally, table the deck off to your left, in front
the bottom. Case this deck and put it in your of your card."
pocket. You execute essentially the same actions,
While tidying up the blue deck after a pre- but you ignore your "selected" card. After
vious effect, contrive to get the Ace of Spades you've tabled your card in front of you. place
to the top. and the Two of Spades to the bot- the deck off to your right, in front of your
tom. Give the deck several shuffles without card. The decks now lie directly across the
disturbing these cards, which will henceforth table from each other (Photo 1).
be referred to as the "force cards." Say. "For security purposes, let's bury our
Say, "Let's try a little experiment. I need cards in our decks. Cut off the top half of your
another deck." Remove the red deck from deck and table it about six inches to the right
your pocket, uncase it, and put the case off to of the remaining portion."
the side. Give the deck several shuffles, keep- Now for a nifty bit of skullduggery. The
ing the force cards in position. instant that your participant touches her deck,
Tell your spectator: "/ now invite you to slide your deck to the left about six inches, cut
freely choose either of these decks. The one you off the top half and return it to the position for-
choose is the one you 'II use. Do not let me influ- merly occupied by your deck (Photos 2 and 3).
ence your choice in any way. Either deck is fine. Do this quickly. Your participant will be
Makes no difference to me." As you're deliver- focused on her deck and will miss this action.
ing this patter, slowly push the red deck closer When she is done, she will look at you and
and closer to her, in small, incremental steps. your cards. Everything looks copacetic. You
Yes, this is an old gag, but it still plays. each have two half decks lying directly across
She selects a deck and you slide it over to the table from each other.
her. Continue: "Carefully and slowly carry Say, "Let's place our selected cards onto the
out the following actions. Execute them as portion that we just cut off." Place your card on
professionally and elegantly as you can. This top of the left half deck. Your participant places
is your chance to shine. Don't drop the cards her card onto her right half deck. These actions
or whip them into a frenzy. Every eye in the are visually symmetrical. "And we plop the rest
room will be burning your every move. of the deck onto our cards to bury them."
Remain calm and try to ignore the crippling These actions appear to be identical. Both of
pressure." you have indeed buried your cards in the center
This patter, or something like it, is very of your decks. But in the process, your partici-
important. It helps to ensure that your partici- pant cut her deck, and you didn't cut yours. Her
pant doesn't cut the deck or drop it. It also selected card is now sandwiched between the
subtly conditions the audience to watch your force cards. Your force cards remain on the top
participant more closely than they watch you. and bottom of your deck.
40 MUM August 2007
 Say, "Let's exchange decks." Slide your eral vision and sound to count her cards. and place it off to your right. She will place
deck to your participant and take her deck Admittedly, this procedure will feel awkward her packet face-up near yours. The face cards
and say: "Now, just like you did before, at first. But it will begin to feel more com- of your packets match (Photo 7).
spread the cards into a fan. Search for the fortable with practice. After you've finished Say, "And we don't need these either.
card that matches the card you chose from dealing your cards, look at your participant Let's get rid of them as well." Pick up the
the other deck. Pull it halfway out of the fan, as if you're patiently waiting for her to finish balance of the deck, turn it face-up, and place
leaving it poking up. Then close the fan. I'll counting her cards. When she is done, she it to your right, next to your other packet.
do the same." will look at you. When your participant does likewise, she
As she is searching for the card, you Tell her: "/ have — (say the number of will notice that the face card of her packet
spring into action. Quickly spread through cards that she has) cards. How main do you matches yours again (Photo 8).
your deck, looking for your force cards. Her have?" Your surprised participant will Slowly look over at the two face-down
selection will be sandwiched between them announce that she has the exact same number cards on your left. Look back at your partic-
(Photo 4). of cards! ipant and say, "At the beginning of all this
Cut the deck, bringing her selection to the React to this disclosure as if it was a merriment, you and I freely chose two
face. Use your left thumb to upjog her card novel coincidence. Don't treat it as some- cards." Glance back at the two cards, then
(Photo 5). thing you had orchestrated. It is important to back at her, and add, "Honestly, did I influ-
Tilt the top of the deck slightly back underplay your reactions to this coincidence, ence your choice of cards in any vvflv?" Your
toward yourself. Your work will be done and to the coincidences that follow. A slight- participant, now nearly bursting with antici-
before your participant completes her task. ly furrowed brow or maybe a quizzically pation, admits that you did not influence her
Because she will be focused on her cards, she raised eyebrow? Just say, "Really? Hmm. choice.
will not see you cut your deck. When she fin- Interesting." Say. "And you didn 't influence my choice
ishes, she will look at you and your cards. This reactive restraint causes tension to of cards, because you don't know how to.
Due to the tilt of your deck, she will see a build in the mind of your participant. As the Right?" She fearfully agrees.
card protruding from somewhere in your coincidences continue to mount, it will slow- Say. "/ chose the ." Turn your
deck, but it will not be apparent that it is the ly dawn on her that you somehow, impossi- card face up as you name it. Add, "And what
rear card (Photo 6). bly, engineered all of them. card did you choose?" She begins to shake
Say, "Let's place our cards face down Say: " Well, we don't need these any more, and drool as she names her card and turns it
over here. Remove xour card and table it off so let's put them over here." Pick up the over, revealing yet another perfect match. •
to your left." packet you dealt to the table, turn it face up,
Your participant removes her card and
tables it near your card. Both decks now have
identical force cards on top and bottom. Table
your deck in front of you and instruct your
participant to do the same. Continue: "Cut off
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cards from your deck. Silently count your
cards onto the table, one on top of the other,
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Deal your cards to the table, as if you're
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August 2007 MUM 41