DAI VERNON was one of the greatest creative magicians of the last century who as a teenager could perform nearly everything in Erdnase. He was a master of brilliant sleights and moves that baffled magicians everywhere.

Yet whilst he was entertaining on a cruise ship which called at Acapulco he was asked by the staff captain to show some magic to the local press and dignitaries at a cocktail party on the stern of the ship. This is what he did

He had a card selected and shuffled back in the pack by the spectator. He then threw the whole pack over the side so that all the cards fluttered down and settled on the surface of the sea.

They all looked over the side and saw that all the cards were face down except one. The selected card! And all the evidence was floating out to sea.

The point of the story is this. If one of the greatest sleight of hand magicians of all time chose to force a card and switch the pack for a deck of double back cards and a double face card – why can’t we?

Vernon was a master of sleight of hand but he knew the guaranteed impact that could be achieved by using fake cards. He was an astute all round magician who was as adept at dealing a bottom card as he was in using a hook coin, if the effect was achieved more easily.

I saw and met Vernon in the 50s/60s and witnessed him using fake cards, pulls and other gizmos as well as his famed sleight of hand but by keeping one guessing as to his method he was always one ahead of you. He was a great magician.

Incidentally I understand that the cards in the water was recently presented on TV in a swimming pool. So what’s new?John Ramsay was another who used this ploy but more of that later. 

Filed under: Magic Biographies, Magic Ideas