The Genii Forum

Can anyone provide what they think is the best MacDonald's Aces handlings in print and why?

Dingle's is very good.
Guy Hollingworth has a good handling in his book.
Jennings' "McJennings Aces" which I published in MAGIC is very good.
There are many handlings of this effect, which originated with Hofzinser in about 1850.

This isn't in print, or it might be I dont know. But I have heard that John Guastaferro;s Famous Aces from Second Storm is pretty good.

L&L Publishing's World's Greatest Magic - MacDonald's Aces

Famous Aces is MORE than pretty good. It's excellent, and if you like anthropomorphic presentations, there a plus there too.

It's not a McDonald's Aces though, because the aces actually vanish from each packet leaving them 'minus one.'

The key to getting good reaction from this trick is a very simple one. Always have the spectator put their hand on the aces throughout the performance. The reaction will double when the aces are revealed. I know that some remarkable performers have not followed this path but I do think in most cases it is to be recommended.

Richard is right. Even though the trick is credited to Mac Macdonald (who only had one arm) it was actually invented by Hofzinser and was known as "The Power of Faith"

I just recently read Dingle's version in Magicana. The version in Magicana is not the same handling found in Dingle's Complete Works. There's also a great write-up in Magicana on setting up for this effect from a full deck of cards. This desciption can be found in the first or second year after Kaufman took the reigns of Genii.

If you want an unusual approach and what is an excellent handling check out Jack Parkers The Three Stooges which appeared in Genii and also is in 52 Memories. I was one of the 'Stooges' when Jack showed this at The Session and smoked me and a room full of magicians, its a great hands-off handling that involves three people and allows them to do all the magic, and is typical of Jacks thinking.

IMHO the BEST LAYDOWN to start is 'STARTLED' by Emile Clifton. Sooo smooth and sooo decpeively easy. Available from Card by Martin.

Don't forget
Frank Garcia's Handling in the NEW STARS OF MAGIC, Vol.1 No.2 "MacDonald's $100 Dollar Four Ace Trick", Tannen, Inc. New York 1972

I have used two different handlings for this trick. The first guy I saw do this routine was Bob Rath of WI. Later I worked out two different routines for this effect. I liked the first two ace productions but I did not like the last two ace productions in the original routine.

I found when performing this for lay people the first two ace productions were "stronger" than the last two ace productions. So I ended up working out two new ways of doing it that better suited my performing style.

And I still do them the same way at shows today.

Just my opinion.

Stewart Judah has an excellent laydown sequence for this effect in Pallbearers Review. MacDonald's Aces is such a powerful trick that even Chuck Fayne's [censored] version plays well.

Ah, Walter, back again I see. Why do you have to plop on Chuck Fayne? I'm sure there are worse versions in print than his?

I don't care what anyone says about his McDonald Aces. Chuck has the funniest comedy club act in magic. His curmudgeonly (grumpy old wombat) demeanour is hilarious and the peeked selections routine is a killer.

Cugel wrote:I don't care what anyone says about his McDonald Aces. Chuck has the funniest comedy club act in magic. His curmudgeonly (grumpy old wombat) demeanour is hilarious and the peeked selections routine is a killer.

I totally agree. He has that character down pat and he has a great act. I just don't know if I can forgive him for releasing that crappy lecture video.

No offense !!!

Richard Kaufman wrote:Ah, Walter, back again I see. Why do you have to plop on Chuck Fayne? I'm sure there are worse versions in print than his?

You are probably right Richard, but nothing comes to mind. I'll check through my Randy Wakeman books just to be sure.

Yep. That DVD was [censored], no doubt.

If I remember right - Johnny Thompson had a good routine on this on one of his video's.

I hope this helps.

Back in the early 80's myself and another two magicians were booked to do close-up magic nightly in a restaurant - . Each of us had McDonald's Aces in our repertoires. The maitre d' would introduce us at the tables and frequently watch our performances.

Over the six month time we were there, he figured out all our tricks, except McDonald's Aces.

I must resurrect it.

Silly Walter wrote:Stewart Judah has an excellent laydown sequence for this effect in Pallbearers Review. MacDonald's Aces is such a powerful trick that ...

hey great misdirection there!

Would you recall the issue or page number for this?

Jonathan Townsend wrote:

Silly Walter wrote:Stewart Judah has an excellent laydown sequence for this effect in Pallbearers Review. MacDonald's Aces is such a powerful trick that ...

hey great misdirection there!

Would you recall the issue or page number for this?

Autumn 1974 Issue (Volume 9). It's in a Stewart Judah one man issue and the trick is called MacDonald's Aces.

Jonathan Townsend wrote:

Silly Walter wrote:
Would you recall the issue or page number for this?

Autumn 1974 Issue (Volume 9).

See pp. 807-808; yes SW, it is an excellent sequence.

A fellow from Japan asked me which issue of Genii contains the updated Dingle version of Macdonalds's Aces. The issue is December 2004...

Is that the one using the Stuart Gordon Turnover and the KM variant under the fan? He did that bit for the group when he visited the Governor Cafeteria way back when.

Did his "quick three way" where you wind up able to show all three cards identical at the end ever hit print? Or the one with the jokers->guarentee jokers->fourkings...

Yeah it was a memorable visit :)

Jonathan, to answer your second question (because I can't remember the answer to the first): no, those versions of "Quick D-Way" are not published. Can you provide details to my e-mail address?

does anyone do the Erdnase version with the Queens? The one that Ricky Jay does in his show? i made the cards and use that everytime i perform it, i know its not MacDonalds aces, but i use the same handling that i learned from the Dingle handling in genii, only with the patter from Erdnase...i feel it gives a reason to the trick, and the story when told right, pulls people in and gets them interested in the plot, and it becomes more of a performance piece than just a neat trick one can do...

I believe that it is Frank Garcia doing his handling from the New Stars of Magic Here:

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/se ... dollar_fun

retepnap- the spoken part of the script Ricky Jay uses may be the text from erdnase but the handling, including the production and vanishes, used is not at all what's in that book.

RK - will do. Have to go back and review what I recall seeing him do a few times to go from visual impressions to moves and setups - and send you an email.

i know the productions and vanishes are not from the book, i was just talking about the patter, i learned the way from the book but didnt like the way you had to lay the supposed queens face down, so when i saw the handleing Ricky Jay does, and realized its basically the same as the MacDonald aces, i quickly adjusted how i was doing it, and ended up using the Derek Dingle Handling of the Aces...

just out of curiosity, is there any place to get the Queens with indifferent backs, all of my double faced queens have two of the queens with indifferent backs, and then two of them have queens on the other side, Queen of hearts/Queen of clubs, Queen of clubs/Queen of Hearts...i have been making my own for the past few years but can not seem to find all four, or actually a full three queens with indifferent backs????

retepnap, Marty at martinismagic.com will make some up for you at a great price. Very nice gentleman.

thanks

Funny, no one has mentioned Don Alan's routine in Pretty Sneaky. One of the most commercial tricks that I do.

I would never perform Macdonald's Aces with queens instead of the aces. I don't have permission.

The only person you'd need permission from is Hofzinser.

I have many, many wonderful tricks in my repertoire. However, I believe the strongest one I do is MacDonalds Aces. As I have mentioned repeatedly in the past you MUST get the spectator to put his hands on the ace pile. I am adamant about this. If you don't then you lose 50% of the reaction. And not only the reaction at the end of the trick. The reaction when they talk about it for days afterwards. You will hear time after time, "But my hands were on the cards!"

Speak of the Devil, maybe Performer can help me contact Hofzinser.

You are truly psychic. We cross posted at the same time that I was about to inform you that I had indeed been in touch with Hofzinser in the spirit world despite the language barrier. I was quite surprised he had learned English over there. He wishes me to inform you that he doesn't mind a bit if you use Queens. He tells me that he doesn't perform the trick any more so you are quite welcome.

He did say some very rude things about MacDonald though, stealing his trick and putting his name to it. He said the trick should be called "The Power of Faith" and will withdraw his permission if you ever attribute it to MacDonald again.

Thank you Performer. Took a heck of chance though, crossing to the Other Side. One of these days, you won't be able to make it back.

I won't attribute it to Macdonald and just to be safe, I won't use the Erdnase patter.

Oh, I often visit the other side. I must say Hofzinser was a very good talker. He did a couple of card tricks for me. His patter was amazingly brief and not long winded at all as was the fashion in those days. Some of the people around nowadays with their long winded chatter could learn a thing of two from him.

And yes, he wasn't keen on the long winded Erdnase chatter at all. And HE put his hand on the leader pile too!

The Hofzinser item(s) Power of Faith (uses jacks) and The Four Kings (uses kings) look like a good place to put the gaffed assembly credit. The latter has that line about a lady choosing her King. Working from the Fischer/Sharpe book.

This is an excerpt from the website, "Conjuring Credits.com, The Origins of Wonder"

Hofzinser/MacDonald Ace Assembly

In the mid-nineteenth century, Johann Hofzinser performed a strikingly similar plot to The MacDonald Ace Assembly as one phase of a larger routine called “A Power of Faith,” published in Ottokar Fischer's Kartenkünste, 1910, p. 69 of the Sharpe translation...The first trick of its kind to be published was Kaufmann's “Prepared Four Ace Trick” in Mahatma, Vol. 7 No. 11, May 1904, p. 125, six years before Hofzinser's material was released.

The plot's name comes from Mac MacDonald's “MacDonald's $100 Routine” in Lewis Ganson's Dai Vernon's More Inner Secrets of Card Magic, 1960, p. 26.

The first version of this trick in which each Ace was vanished from its packet in a different manner was by Ken Krenzel in M-U-M, Vol. 51 No. 3, Aug. 1962, p. 108, under the title “Those Extra Touches”.

Larry Jennings was the first to add a “backfire” coda, in “MacJennings Aces” from Genii, Vol. 62 No. 1, Jan. 1999, p. 39.