Hi Everyone,

Does anyone know of a you do as I do newspaper tear? Basically a person from the audience would join me on stage, we would both tear up a newspaper, I would resotre mine, their's would still be in pieces, then I could take their's and restore it as well. Thanks.

Cliff

Eleazar Goodenough's "Ultimate Newspaper Tear" could be done in that style, except it would be best if the person remained standing in the audience, rather than beside you on stage. But the gimmick could easily be rigged for a second restoration of the spectator's torn pieces. It's in Eleazar's book "Tear-Able Magic" on my site.

I think almost any T&R newspaper would work for this !

This was a routine used for many years, and still being used, by British magician Nick Lewin.

He uses two Gene Anderson tears, adding the second gimmick to the spectator's pieces as they are being picked up off the floor.

It is a very clever bit. I wish I had thought of it. It would have gone well with my Four Ring Routine.

I still like the tear that Joel Bauer uses. I bought the tape and maybe someday I'll add it to my show. LOL

JIM

Thanks for all your suggestions. I also have Joel Bauer's tape and really like it. I guess I just need to play with the idea a little bit and see how I can add the second load to the audience members pieces.

Cliff

Have you read Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic? It has a great Sucker Torn and Restored Napkin effect that has just the effect you described. A full sheet of newspaper would be too lark to pull it off with, but if you cut it into quarters it should work...or just use napkins:)

Thanks for reminding me! Fred Goode's "Torn and Restored SIGNED Napkin" is included in the article on "Magical History:Torn & Restored Napkin" in The Wizards' Journal #8 (on my Web site). It is basically a "you do as I do" napkin tear, but both the spectator and the magician sign their names across the napkins with a magic marker before tearing up their napkins and restoring them.

Here's an excerpt from the article explaining the effect in Fred's own words (It's OK, I own the copyright!):

"That’s right. Before you tear it, you get a spectator to sign his or her name across the napkin with a permanent magic marker or Sharpie pen. Let’s say they sign a yellow napkin. You start to tear up the napkin, but suddenly stop and say, “I think YOU should be the one to tear up your own napkin.” You hand them the yellow napkin in a ball. Then you take a blue napkin and continue, “And I’ll tear up the napkin that I’m about to sign.” You then sign a blue napkin and now you instruct them how to tear up the napkin into pieces. When they have torn up their signed napkin and mushed it up into a ball, you take both napkin balls and ask them which one they would like to restore… your napkin, their own… or both!

"It doesn’t matter what they say, because you end up making them restore both napkins, their own and yours, and the napkins they restore still bear both signatures just as if they had never been torn."

There are many other napkin tearing variations in that article, as well.

Whit!

That was a magic secret that I badly needed during my four years of tearing up Wall Street Journals in Hilton Hotels. (Car 54, where were you?)

What a great transition! I wish I had thought of it too.

Of course, now I use Neil's center tear. It leaves me a way to produce two doves.

Spellbinder,

The torn and restored napkin is also a great impromtu card silk substitute too. Then you can do the T&R plus a card trick.

Scheme!

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

Thanks again everyone for your ideas. I like the idea of the napkin being singed. I think this makes this type of effect a little more impossible to the audience. The other thing I have considered is the torn and restored parking ticket. I believe there is one on the market. Have you guys ever heard of this?

Cliff

You must have read the article or gotten that through psychic powers. The very next section of the article gives Fred's son (Eleazar Goodenough's) version of the napkin tear with card spots matching a forced card, and an even better range force version where the spectator rolls a large sponge die to determine how many pieces the napkin should be torn into (one is a "do over"). The napkin is torn according the the spectator's random die toss, and when restored, shows that number of spots as holes neatly cut from the restored napkin (the spots are there, and flutter to the floor when it is opened).

Is there one better than Joel Bauer's, this is a quick set up. please contact me . magicwalsh@gmail.com. many thanks.

You can see my version of the Gene Anderson Tear here: http://www.whithaydn.com/video_clips.htm

Spellbinder,

Don't you just love it when someone else provides the props?

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

There's a version of the newspaper tear out there by Tommy Jackson, The Quick Set Newspaper Tear it's on video and is really hard to find. Daytona magic may still carry it, I'm not sure.

The cool thing about this version is, using a full-size newspaper, you can set the gimmick up in about a minute and it uses NO glue,tape or anything else. All you need are the two duplicate newspapers (you did know about that part right?)

Wish I could find explanation for Tommy Jackson newspaper tear, magicwalsh@gmail.com

That is one I haven't heard of before. What makes it special from the effect perspective?

I should have been more specific. Is it just the quick setup and not the effect? If so, the Baxt Better Newspaper Tear equally takes lets than a minute to set up and works great.