TELEVISION CARD FRAME IDEAS

Most Magicians are familiar with the Television Card Frame, the effect of which is that a chosen card is suddenly projected between two panes of glass held in an upright frame. The following are several ideas for working with this piece of apparatus but using different presentations.

1 — In this one, a double-face card is placed in the gimmick part of frame. Any double-face card may be used and then you force duplicates of these cards and have them returned to the deck which is then shuffled. With the bound panes of glass set in the frame, let the first card appear visibly, then cover the glass with a handkerchief and remove from frame, at the same time, unbeknown to the audience, turning the glass around. Then you remove the hank with a flourish and they see the second chosen card.

2 — As a variation from the visible appearance of a card, this is a baffling stunt. Show the glass plates and bind them together and place them in the stand. Throw a handkerchief over the glass and as you do release the card and continue wrapping the bound glass in the hank as you remove from frame. Have your assistant (or a spectator) hold the wrapped glass while you have a card selected. Vanish the card and have the hank removed and show the selected card between the plates of glass.

3 — If you wish to get away from card tricks you can use the television frame for the appearance of a bill, the serial number of which you have noted and written on your hand or somewhere handy when you are ready to read it off. Seal this bill in a small pay envelope about the size of a playing card and place in the gimmick. Borrow a bill and have someone copy down the serial number as you read off the figures you've previously written down. Vanish the bill and then have the pay envelope appear visibly between the glass plates. Anyone may then separate the plates and open the envelope to find that the bill is the one whose serial number corresponds to that written down by the spectator, and the bill may be returned.

4 — Another variation to get away from tricked appearance of the apparatus. Since the frame is of the type used for photo display, use it as such and with a photo mounted on a black cardboard, take only one pane of glass and place it and the cardboard together and have this in the frame at the start. Remove the photo and glass from the frame and offer for examination, then replace together and bind them in the usual way and replace in stand. Have a card selected and shuffled into the deck. Then release the gimmick and the card will fly behind the glass. Very mystifying.

5 — Have a spectator select a card and mark it and then secretly bring it to the top of the deck. You already have a duplicate of this card in the gimmick. After the duplicate has appeared, you remove it and switch the card for the one marked by the spectator, and showing it, have it verified as the original marked card.

6 — You can produce any Ace called for between the plates by placing two double-face Aces in a double pay envelope, remembering; how the Aces are disposed of in the envelope. When envelope appears between the plates, you remove it and tear it open at the proper place and remove the card with the Ace called for showing.

7 — Here is one to use with a Book Test to reveal the selected word. On a piece of clear celluolid, about the thickness of an ordinary playing card, paste letters cut out of paper and inked in. Have this in the gimmick. Show the two panes of glass and place a piece of white paper between them, then bind all together and place in frame. As you release the gimmick the piece of celluloid flies up and it appears that the word is lettered on the sheet of paper.

8 — This may be used with a black background by painting the letters with show-card white on the celluloid.

9 — Here's another use for the celluloid card. Paste diamond pips on the celluloid to make a Five of Diamonds. Pick out the Five of Diamonds from the deck or force it on a spectator and then make a color change and come up with a blank card. Turn to the frame and the five loose pips will appear visibly between the two glass plates.

10 — Spirit messages and predictions can also be made to appear in sealed envelopes with the Television Frame.

11 — In a demonstration of Extra-Sensory Perception, the E.S.P. cards can be used. And for kid shows, cards with Mickey Mouse characters or Old Maid cards will prove interesting and entertaining.

12 — And here is one in which you utilize a moving pip card. This card is shot up between the glass plates as the selected card and as it is taken from the frame, the pips are moved and there it is, the chosen card.