THE GLASS TRICK

By Roy Benson

This trick has been titled by my audiences. It is as popular an effect with them as anything I do. They always ask for "The Glass Trick." It will be found equally effective as an opening trick close-up, on the night club floor, or on the stage. In fact it can be shown under any, and all, conditions. Basically the trick is not new but the changes made in it have enhanced its audience appeal to an enormous extent.
The magician enters, holding in one hand two men's size silk handkerchiefs by their corners. One of the handkerchiefs is red and the other is white. Those colors are not essential, but the handkerchiefs must be of different colors. He announces that he wants one of these handkerchiefs chosen--the one selected will be the one used in the trick. The handkerchief not chosen is pulled away from the other and thrown over his arm. He picks up a highball glass with his empty hand and pushes the chosen handkerchief down into the glass. It will fill about half the glass. The magician then takes the other handkerchief and pushes it into the glass, as he explains, to act as a stopper. He then calls attention to the fact that the selected handkerchief is in the glass and cannot come out the bottom because of the glass and the other handkerchief closes the mouth of the glass. He takes the glass between the palms of his two hands. One hand covers the bottom of the glass and the other the mouth of the glass. The fingers of the hands are held straight out so that every one plainly can see the glass and both handkerchiefs. He waves the glass a very little and the chosen handkerchief instantly disappears. Instantly the glass may be handed for examination. Not only will it be found intact, but the second handkerchief will be wedged in the mouth of the glass like a stopper.
To prepare for the trick, all that is needed is a length of braided silk cord. It probably can be found in a store selling material for ladies' dresses, but I know that such cord also is carried in upholsterers' shops. It needs to be quite strong and mine is about an eighth inch in diameter. Incidentally, this silk cord is much more flexible, and therefore better, than fishline. A one inch loop is made at one end and the cords at the end of the loop bound with thread. This fastening of the loop must be most secure. That loop is for the handkerchief as will be explained later. I also make the same size and kind of loop at the other end, for I slip it on to the strap of my wrist watch. The length of the cord depends upon the length of one's arms and the width of one's back. The cord must be just long enough to go from the fingers of one hand to the opposite wrist-up one sleeve across the back and down the other sleeve when the arms are bent and the elbows held flat at the sides.

When the magician walks on the stage, the ends of both handkerchiefs are through the loop of the cord. This not only makes it easy and natural to hold the cord but it takes away the fumbling which would be required to thread the loop with a handkerchief in front of an audience. When the choice of handkerchief is made, the left hand (I hold the handkerchiefs in my right) takes hold of the bottom corner of the other handkerchief. The right hand is raised, seemingly the better to show the chosen handkerchief, and the left band pulls the other handkerchief free. That silk is immediately thrown over the right arm. The left band then takes the top corner of the chosen handkerchief and the right hand--loop and all--moves to the center of the silk. Apparently, this is done merely because it is easier to push the handkerchief into the glass when it is held by the center, and this is quite true, but at the same time the loop is put in the position where it will do the most good.
The glass is picked up by the left band. In night clubs, I pick up a glass from one of the tables. The ends of the handkerchief are dropped first into the glass and the rest of the silk pushed down on top. The handkerchief is pushed down until it is a bundle filling the bottom half of the glass. The glass is then taken by the right hand while the left takes the second handkerchief again. That silk is pushed down on top of the first. There is nothing special to know about putting in the second handkerchief. Do it just as you ordinarily would push a bandkerchief into a glass.
The glass is held between the two palms. The pressure is made with the base of the fingers rather than the heel of the palms. A slight forward movement of the arms and the chosen handkerchief will be jerked, past the second handkerchief and up the right sleeve. In doing this move, the heel of the right hand is lifted out about a quarter inch. Instead of jerking the second handkerchief out, as would seem to be the natural thing to happen, all that pulling the silk out by the cord does is to wedge the other handkerchief into the mouth of the glass. When the glass is handed out for examination the remaining handkerchief is a ball of silk which stays in position corking the mouth of the glass.
It is perfectly possible to do the trick with a milk, or cream bottle, or with a comparatively small necked glass vase. In either case the selected handkerchief will slide out past the other handkerchief without the least difficulty. Personally I have always preferred using a highball glass, because it seems to be more convincing to an audience. However, for certain acts a bottle or vase may be found more effective.
The fact that the handkerchief vanishes instantly while the attention of the audience is focused on it, and the added fact that a glass with both ends closed surrounds the handkerchief, makes the effect particularly appealing to audiences. That it is so striking a trick, and yet is a short one, makes it an excellent trick with which to open a magic program.
The best patter to use with the trick is a mere explanation of what is happening. The trick is strong enough so that the little fairy story plot is not needed.