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THE RABBIT OUT OF A HAT The
effect of producing a rabbit out of a hat is not new to the magical
fraternity. It is almost synonymous with the word 'magic' wherever it be
spoken. In my magic den I have sev
The
magician enters the stage with an opera hat on his head which he promptly
removes and folds, placing it on an empty chair. Beside him is a folding
table. The table legs follow the pattern of the letter 'X' enabling them to be easily opened or folded as desired.
The table top is standing upright nearby and its draped front is hanging
flush with the top, thereby proving that nothing is concealed underneath.
The magician opens the 'X' table legs on the stage floor. He then places
the table top on the table legs. In handling the table top from the
vertical to the horizontal position, the movement should be slow and deliberate.
The audience notes that the table top just fits on top of the legs.
The patter of the magician may be of his own taste, however, it could run something like this: Every modern magician must have his equipment-the wand, a table, a silk handkerchief, etc. Some of them produce a rabbit out of their hat to prove that they are magicians. Considering myself a modern magician, I too must produce a rabbit out of my hat. First I must assemble my table. Actually my table needs no draping. However, it is an excellent way .of introducing myself. Enough of this talk, here is my rabbit. What's the matter? No applause? Oh, I see,. I have produced the picture of a rabbit on a silk handkerchief. Well, I'll just have to try again. And in so doing the magician reaches into the hat a second time and produces a live rabbit, infact he can produce a couple more if he so desires. The hat is again -folded and the table is removed, exhibiting it from both sides and then the drape is also removed with a mystical gesture. The secret of this original trick is explained
in fig. 1. It shows the
trick as it appears during the production. The table top is a tricky one
and the drape is absolutely essential. The drape is attached to the front
side only, and bears the magician's name in bold print. There are weights
attached in a row at the bottom shown above the fringes in fig. I, so that
the drape will hang easily. The rabbits are previously concealed in the
trap as is shown in fig. 3. The upright position keeps the load in place
per illustration 'A'. As the table top is gradually placed in a horizontal
position, its drape and its load take the positions 'B' and 'C' as shown
in fig. 5. Figure 4 shows the rabbit being produced from the hat. The hat
is also prepared. Its top is made of black cardboard in such a way that it
can be pushed aside to bring the bunny out. There is a corresponding hole
in the top of the table and it can be opened o Any mechanically minded magician will understand the construction and might even improve it further. |
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eral photos of world famous .magicians
doing this trick. However, while I too perform this trick, my modus
operandi is quite different and very original. I suggest that you try it,
particularly for opening on small stages or in parlour performances.
r closed by the sliding door
as is shown in fig. 6. The trap is of 'V' shape and revolves with
the vertex as center. The body is made of soft material (leather,
fibre or cloth) a la camera bellows with accordion pleatings. The
upper side of the 'V' is kept in position by the 'button 'P' and
when the trap is empty after final production, the bottom side can
be pushed up to fit evenly with it. It is kept in position by two
stud buttons (male and female) as shown in fig. 7. The accordion pleated
trap does not close, not because of the loads inside but for the
special rod that is contained inside and works on a hinge. When
this rod stands upright, the trap is open but when it is down the trap may
be folded as is seen in fig. 7. by dotted line and arrow. A spring hinge
may be added to enable the magician at his discretion to fold
that point easily. The rabbits will not suffer from this position as the
trap will remain open due to the upright rod. The introduction of
the 'rabbit silk' is not at all difficult. It might be previously
concealed in a black bag inside the hat or it might be with the rabbits in
the trap. The magician places the hat on the table and opens the trap
doors of both the hat and the table top and produces the silk
handkerchief and then the rabbits, Finally he pushes the upright rod down
and holds the bottom in such a way that it is fastened down by the
stud buttons.