For his first illusion tonight the magician will demonstrate one of the
classics of magic.
It dates back to the days of Houdini when nearly every theater in the country
featured live stage magicians instead of movies.
Originally called "Through the eye of a needle".
The trick uses these two solid oak wine barrels that are secured in a sturdy
wield stands.
We'll get to that large bullseye in a minute.
Two of the magicians assistants enter carrying steel rods. The magician takes
one and shows us that the rod is solid
and then threads it through the holes at the front of the empty barrel.
He takes another rod and does the same.
Now for the next rod.
As we can see these pieces of tubular steel are forming a cage like barrier
across the front of the barrel. Now for the last one. Again it's solid and
impenetrable.
The cage is complete. We now turn our attention to the other barrel and
another beautiful assistant.
Charming.
She moves to the back of the empty barrel and climbs inside. Even more
charming.
Looks like a barrel of fun.
Here's where the bullseye comes in.
The two assistants spin the barrel and the girl
so that the magician can place the solid steel bullseye over the back end.
Sealed tight.
Another assistant enters with an identical bullseye again
made of solid steel.
The girl gives us a wave and a magician seals her inside with a steel plate.
It can't be comfortable but he's had her in much trickier positions than this.
The barrels are now secured face to face. The one on the left containing the girl
The one on the right
empty but caged off by the steel rods. The assistants spin the barrels so that
we can see from all sides that there's nothing sneaky going on. From a hole in
the top of the left barrel the girls fingers appear.
A magician has a gift for her, this red silk handkerchief.
She takes it. In an instant it appears to the top of the other barrel. Impossible
yet there it is and there are her fingers.
This bears further investigation.
The barrels are separated and there's the girl behind the steel bars just like
a cunning cat in a cage.
But how did she get in there?
So how did the magician make his assistant travel from one barrel to the
next through the steel plate and solid steel rods instantly appearing to defy
the impossible?
Here are the secrets. When the illusion begins the magician demonstrates that the
steel rod is solid and free from gimmicks before he thread it through the
holes in the barrel.
Notice that he does not show off the second rod
that's the first secret.
This rod has been constructed with a spring at the center and two other
points which makes the rod flexible. As he inserts this rod
he's careful to grip it at the center covering the joint with his hand and
preventing it from bending as it's threaded into place.
Both of the center bars are designed with these Springs allowing them to be
spread apart wide enough for the girl to pass through.
Now we know how she gets through the bars but what about the solid steel
bullseye that seals her inside the other barrel? The clever bullseye design
conceals another secret. As we can see there is a circle cut out in the center
of the plate.
This red and white Bulls eye plug is held in place by magnets. As we see here the
plug easily pops out and into the barrel.
As the audience is distracted by the assistants
I mean by the assistants spinning the barrel,
the girl inside is removing the magnetic plug-in squeezing feet first through the
tricks spring-loaded bars.
This is where practice and a willing assistant are critica.l These secret
angles show her path from one barrel into the next.
It's a tight fit
but judging by her costume she's used to such things.
Once inside she waits for the red handkerchief which is the key to selling
the speed of the illusion.
Remember how it went in one hole and appeared two second later through the
other?
Here's how it happens so quickly there's a second handkerchief. Before the trick
began the girl concealed it in her very tight costume.
We never noticed but she had it with her the entire time.
When the magician hands her his handkerchief through one hole she's
ready with her smuggle handkerchief poised to push it through the hole in
the second barrel.
This creates the convincing illusion that the same handkerchief has travelled
from one barrel to the next at lightning speed.
Now she immediately replaces the painted bullseye plug and as the magician
prepares to separate the barrels
she quickly stashes his red handkerchief through a hole and into the first barrel.
The two barrels are separated and she appears to have passed right through the
metal plate and steel rods. An impressive classic trick.
And now you know the secrets.