Strange Travelers vs. Thoughts Across vs. Crossed Thought (The Dueling Davids & Daryl)

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Sketchomagic
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Strange Travelers vs. Thoughts Across vs. Crossed Thought (The Dueling Davids & Daryl)

Postby Sketchomagic » April 25th, 2012, 4:29 pm

So I just took a visit to my local magic shop, and asked for David Blaine's Strange Travelers card effect. My dealer told me he had Thoughts Across by David Solomon... and another one called Crossed Thought by Daryl. All of them he said are essentially the same effect as ST by Blaine only difference being that ST is printed on Mandolin backs as opposed to Bicycle. I ended purchasing Thoughts Across, anyone else here own a copy or have both? What your thoughts? Thanks in advance for your time!
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Re: Strange Travelers vs. Thoughts Across vs. Crossed Thought (The Dueling Davids & Daryl)

Postby Richard Kaufman » April 25th, 2012, 4:37 pm

Strange Travelers is a trick by Theodore DeLand orignally called Cagliostro's Cards, often miscredited to Henry Hardin (who published something called "The King's Card Trick." To this, Paul Harris added something extremely clever, making Strange Travelers a near-perfect trick.

I don't know how the other effects by Solomon and Daryl work: all variations of these tricks generally use either double-faced or double-ended cards. But what Paul Harris added to Strange Travelers makes it really special.
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Re: Strange Travelers vs. Thoughts Across vs. Crossed Thought (The Dueling Davids & Daryl)

Postby Sketchomagic » April 26th, 2012, 9:44 am

I see, so looks like I'm gonna have to scoop up the Paul Harris version. Thanks for the feedback once again, Chief Genii!
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Re: Strange Travelers vs. Thoughts Across vs. Crossed Thought (The Dueling Davids & Daryl)

Postby Bob Farmer » April 26th, 2012, 5:26 pm

What's the Harris version called?

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Re: Strange Travelers vs. Thoughts Across vs. Crossed Thought (The Dueling Davids & Daryl)

Postby erdnasephile » April 26th, 2012, 5:41 pm

Strange Travelers

http://www.mylovelyassistant.com/products/view/9163

FWIW, Mr. A's version of this effect trumps all, IMHO.

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Re: Strange Travelers vs. Thoughts Across vs. Crossed Thought (The Dueling Davids & Daryl)

Postby Richard Kaufman » April 26th, 2012, 7:06 pm

Who is Mr. "A"?

I note that in the comment below the review on my lovely assistant, Bryce Kuhlman repeats the miscredit to Henry Hardin.

Hardin's method uses double-ended cards.

DeLand's method uses double-faced cards.
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Re: Strange Travelers vs. Thoughts Across vs. Crossed Thought (The Dueling Davids & Daryl)

Postby erdnasephile » April 26th, 2012, 7:22 pm

Aronson

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Re: Strange Travelers vs. Thoughts Across vs. Crossed Thought (The Dueling Davids & Daryl)

Postby Don Hendrix » April 27th, 2012, 3:17 am

If you google "strange travelers", you will find a video of Lu Chen performing this on Chinese tv. He builds it up into a real miracle. Understanding Chinese isn't necessary to appreciate what a great routine it is.

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Re: Strange Travelers vs. Thoughts Across vs. Crossed Thought (The Dueling Davids & Daryl)

Postby Bob Farmer » April 27th, 2012, 8:04 am

I marketed a variation of this, "Hand O' Doom." Basically, the deck is cut in half and half placed in the spectator's pocket. He thinks of a card in the other half and that half is mixed face up and face down. The cards magically all turn face up, except for one card in the middle, which is face down.

To this point, the spectator has not named his card, but the face-down card must be his because none of the face-up cards are. I then name his card. He agrees.

The face-down card is turned over -- but it's not his card, it's a hand pointing at him. He reaches in his pocket removes the cards from there and finds his thought card among them.

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Re: Strange Travelers vs. Thoughts Across vs. Crossed Thought (The Dueling Davids & Daryl)

Postby Sketchomagic » April 27th, 2012, 8:59 am

Wow so many different classics of this effect out there! Must have them all! Appreciate the insight folks!
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Re: Strange Travelers vs. Thoughts Across vs. Crossed Thought (The Dueling Davids & Daryl)

Postby Bob Farmer » April 27th, 2012, 9:48 am

Here are some notes from the "Hand 'O Doom" credits (but see Richard's comments on Hardin, above).


Richard Kaufman and Max Maven made some very helpful suggestions about early versions of this effect that went a long way to shape this version. Max was particularly helpful in establishing the line of descent. Thank you.

Thought card transpositions and automatic Triumphs (i.e. non-sleight rightings of a face-up/down deck) have followed two independent lines of development for at least the last 100 years.
HAND O' DOOM is the first effect to twist those lines together, combine the effects and add a new one: you can name the thought card.

Previous thought card transpositions you might be interested in include: THE TRIANGLE, a trick published in England by David Devant in 1911; THE KING'S KARDS marketed in America by Henry Hardin, possibly around the same time; and Phil Goldstein's 1974 effect, RAPID TRANSIT.

For complete descriptions of THE TRIANGLE, see: OUR MAGIC by Nevil Maskelyne and David Devant, Second Edition, Fleming Book Company, 1946, at pages 175 to 181; ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CARD TRICKS by Jean Hugard and John J. Crimmins, Jr., Second Edition, Max Holden, 1937 at pages 133 to 134; FEKE CARD TRICKS, Harry Stanley, Unique Magic Studio (no date, but probably 1950s) at pages 26 to 28.

For KING'S KARDS see, THE JINX #104, page 627. RAPID TRANSIT, being a dealer item, is best found there.

Henry Hardin also invented another excellent thought card transposition, THE PRINCESS CARD TRICK. It is described at page 180 of DAI VERNON'S TRIBUTE TO NATE LEIPZIG, by Lewis Ganson, published by the Supreme Magic Company. It uses double-enders rather than double-facers to effect the vanish.

For another interesting transposition of a thought card using double-enders, rather than double-facers, see RED SEE PASSOVER at page 78 of Simon Aronson's book, THE CARD IDEAS OF SIMON ARONSON.

Notable automatic Triumphs have been originated by U.F. Grant, Arthur Finley and Wesley James. As these are dealer items, I cannot explain them here, your dealer is your best source.

For a small packet automatic Triumph not unrelated to the previous references, see THE REVERSING CARD ROUTINE in 36 Tricks With FA-KO Cards by Ronald Haines, Haines House of Cards, at pages 27 and 28.

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Re: Strange Travelers vs. Thoughts Across vs. Crossed Thought (The Dueling Davids & Daryl)

Postby Richard Kaufman » April 27th, 2012, 11:27 am

The description of Hardin's King's Cards in the The Jinx is wrong. Hardin used double-ended cards, not double-faced cards.

It is DeLand's version, Cagliostro Cards, that used double-faced cards. Thus Strange Travelers is a version of DeLand's trick.

Aronson's trick is a version of Hardin's trick, not DeLand's trick.

The so-called "Automatic Triumphs" are all descendents of DeLand's "Inverto," which was stolen by many including Charles Jordan and U.F. Grant. The first person to take DeLand's "Inverto" and add a selected card to it is Stewart Judah, and you can find his effect in The Lost Notebooks of John Northern Hilliard.

Bob's information above is incomplete because I had not finished my book on DeLand at the time, and DeLand is completely missing from all his references, yet it ALL goes back to DeLand.
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Re: Strange Travelers vs. Thoughts Across vs. Crossed Thought (The Dueling Davids & Daryl)

Postby Jonathan Townsend » April 27th, 2012, 12:47 pm

With the Sympathetic Thirteen from the Leipzig book in mind - are there advantages to using double faces rather than double ended card when the routine call for dealing?

*not going to nibble on the bait as to how Bob can name the selection for the volunteer. ;)

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Re: Strange Travelers vs. Thoughts Across vs. Crossed Thought (The Dueling Davids & Daryl)

Postby Bob Farmer » April 27th, 2012, 1:10 pm

Well, I'll tell you -- because a small number of cards are involved, it is possible to use values that will allow for a progressive anagram identification of the card they are thinking of. This is particularly effective in this context because as I'm doing the reading, I'm touching the face of the card they think is their card (i.e., I'm supposedly receiving vibrations to identify the card).

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Re: Strange Travelers vs. Thoughts Across vs. Crossed Thought (The Dueling Davids & Daryl)

Postby Sketchomagic » May 3rd, 2012, 8:51 pm

So my question to you gentlemen is...what is the best version--to each of you?

I just received my copy of Strange Travelers, and I have Solomon's version as well. Since I'm serving jury duty...it gives me lots of time to read the Strange Travelers booklet. I already feel it is better than Solomon's "Thoughts Across", although I haven't watched the DVD it its entirety.
Till the next time magic fiends...

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Re: Strange Travelers vs. Thoughts Across vs. Crossed Thought (The Dueling Davids & Daryl)

Postby Travis » May 8th, 2012, 10:15 pm

Don,

Do you have a lInk for the Lu Chen performance? I can't seem to find it.

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Re: Strange Travelers vs. Thoughts Across vs. Crossed Thought (The Dueling Davids & Daryl)

Postby Don Hendrix » May 9th, 2012, 2:25 am

Sorry, I don't. I only know that it was on Youtube. Unless you can read Chinese, it will probably be difficult to find. I found it the first time after searching for Strange Travelers.
I just tried that again without success. Good luck. If you find it, please post a link. I will do the same.


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