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Ultimate Color Separation -B Y-

VERNE CHESBRO

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$9***-

Foreword

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Before bringing Ultimate Color Separation for your consideration, I would like to say a few words of appreciation.

Ho one can build anything of consequence without the basic plans for inspiration. i.'either can he build well am' true without tools of quality to accomplÂŁs*Erfe&e feat.

I would like to thank (fid Uarlta, among the foremost cardmen in theyworl^, for the original outline of Oil and Jater. This is inspiration indeed! 1 am standing too close to judge, but I hope the variations contained in these pages are worthy of the original concept.

Thanks are certainly due to Alex Elmsley for his "Counting Pour as Four," which is tne major tool in this effort, .and a sleight of tremendous scope throughout card magic.

Bob Veeser is doubly praised for the "Veeser Concq5t" and the"Veeser Count," two sleights of tremendous utility. I trust that I have used these tools with understanding and skill.

I would be remiss if I neglected to show gratitude to those close to me. To my wife, Burgl, .for a special magic all her own. To my magical friends; John liintz, Ron Zollweg and Bill Ryon for their enthusiasm and help.

Finally, special thanks ,to iiartie Zollweg who deciphered my scrawls and did the typing for what follows.

Verne Chesbro July 1963

ULTIMATE COLOR SEPARATION Although four black and four red cards are repeatedly mixed in the fairest possible manner, they continue to separate, so that the colors are always together.'No matter what is done to circumvent them, the mixed cards separate one at a time, or all together .with an ease and speed which is entirely magical.

I feel t-hat these routines have been simplified and streamlined to the nth degree so that even those aspiring magicians with only a small amount of skill can master them in a reasonable time. At the same time the underlying principles of magic have been so utilized that as the routine progresses even the seasoned magical observer will become hopelessly bewildered.

Many difficult sleights have been supplanted by sound psychological subterfuges.

Several approaches have been made so that there are dozens, of methods, thus making it possible for each to put together a custom made routine which will suit his tastes and needs. . Only four cards of each color are used at any time, which allows extremely clean, fingertip handling; Special cards, all identical except for the colors, are' supplied. These have several advantages. First, since only the two colors differ, extraneous considerations,-such as suits and values, cannot cloud the clean-cut presentation and confuse the spectators.

Second, the special cards take the effect out of the "take a card" class and give it a unique quality.

Third, they simplify the operation in several ways, making the trick virtually indetectable. You will find that the spectators will want to examine these cards,

which they should be urged to do. Then they will be left with no explanation and will almost find it possible to believe your pseudoscientific patter.

No hard or fast rules can be made for what patter to use. The following bits of information may be used during the routine to explain and augment the inexplicable happenings which take place. You may care to use all of this or only a little. You may not care to use it at all, having developed your own ideas on the subject. You may treat the subject seriously or in a humorous way. I find that a bantering, half serious—tongue in cheek presentation is most effective for me.

"I would like to show you an unusual scientific phenomena which is based on what I call the Color Separation Theory. Every one knows that if you mix a quart of oil and a quart.of water in a container and let it set for a few minutes, the oil and water will separate. This simple happening is possible because the two materials are not of the same weight, the lighter of the two will always rise to the top. Many liquids will do the same thing.

"VJhite light, when passed through an optical prism, will separate jnto its separate, component colors. Science tells us that this is caused by the different wave frequencies given off by colors.

"VJhat I am going to show you, no doubt, has a scientific explanation which some day will be understood. I have learned, after countless experiments, what is necessary to cause certain results, but I cannot explain what is actually happening. It's rather like magnetism or electricity. Vie know many ways to use it, but even our greatest scientists cannot actually explain it. Hov/ever let me show you some of these anazing things. I make use of four black cards and four red

cards which several of you have examined and found to be quite similar in structure to ordinary playing cards."

At a couple of points in the routine I sse a subterfuge instead of a sleight. At this time I use the idea of .a catalyst in the patter, somewhat along these lines: "Catalysis is the process of causing or speeding up a chemical chafige in a solution by placing therein a substance called a catalyst. •'This process is unusual in that, although it causes the change, the catalyst itself i-s not changed in any way. Many scientists believe that certcin materials have -catalystic action on magnetic and electrical fields and on groups of objects.

"1 feel that objects in complete balance or equilibrium, may be affected by a catalyst, causing then to change completely,, For instance, by taking any one of these cards, and. placing it here, would you imagine that it could possibly make the colors instantly separate, like this?"

The last several paragraphs on patter have been ourposely left quite general so that they may be adapted to any of the subterfuges used later for changing the position of a card or cards.

This is misdirection by conditioning- the spectator to accept something on a reasonable basis, which, if not previously explained and understood, would seem out of place.

The ."Slmsley Count: This exceptionally deceptive sleight was originally called: "Counting Pour as Pour," but since that time it has been linked with the name of the inventor and we will use* the term "llmsley Count." To further shorten the necessarily explicit directions we will use the initials 5C to denote the use of this sleight throughout the explanations to follow.