Gillian B : 19 - Money for Old Rope (M/F)

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Gillian B : 19 - Money for Old Rope (M/F)

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Money for Old Rope
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By Gillian B

Friday July 3rd 1998 03:38:00

I've already told you about the magic act that my friend Janet and I put on when we were at school together. That happened at Christmas 1967. In the following Summer, my family moved house and I lost touch with her...

Money for Old Rope

I went to University in 1972. Within a few days of going up for the Autumn term, I was delighted to meet Janet, who had also picked the same University. We teamed up immediately and set about getting to know our new home town together. We both still had our shared interest in magic, and toyed with the idea of putting on a proper show together. We never got around to it for various reasons.

We did continue to practise together. Janet and I have rather different interests in magic. She is a close-up specialist with long nimble fingers and can do incredible things with cards and coins right under your nose. My interest is more in big illusions. I don't need the sheer speed that Janet's magic needs, just strength and dexterity, but I'm much more dependent on fancy props, which are time consuming to make - or expensive to buy. (Actually, I get more enjoyment out of inventing tricks than I do from performing them.) We had fun together and just occasionally took our magic out into the big wide world.

We sometimes busked on street corners, but our best venues were the many pubs around the University. Our standard procedure was to go into a pub (in costume), march up to the bar and ask if we could do a little magic in the corner. Once we had developed a bit of a reputation, they almost always said, "Yes." We usually did a little juggling together, then Janet would do some card tricks. My favourite illusion to finish off with was this escape...

Pray silence for Jan (the tall one with the curly hair) and Jill (the short one with the big spectacles):

Jill holds up a ten-foot rope.

Ladieeez and Gennelmen! The late, great Harry Houdini could escape from anything anybody could do to him. This is one of his tricks. Please watch very carefully. I need two big strong men to help me. You, sir... and you, sir!

Now each of you take one end of the rope... that's right. Pull it out straight... give them some room please, Ladies and Gentlemen. That's very good.


Jill lifts her arms above her head, clasps her hands together and brings them down together so her wrists are on the stretched out rope.

Now you two volunteers are going to tie me up. Watch while I show you what to do.

Jill points at her right wrist with her left hand.

Now I want you to tie my wrists here, at the narrowest point - just below this knobbly bit here? OK?

Jill clasps her hands together and spreads her feet apart slightly to brace herself.

This is going to be a proper reef knot - I'm too young to be a granny. OK, left over right first.

The volunteers tie the first half of the knot and pull the ends.

Well that's not much of a challenge! Pull it tight! Put your backs into it!

The volunteers do as they are told and pull hard. The audience can see the rope dig into Jill's wrists.

Better. Now, we have a problem here. I need another volunteer. You, sir?

The third volunteer comes forward.

Now, sir, put your finger on the knot so it doesn't come undone as we finish it off.

He looks self-conscious but does as he is told.

That's really very good. Do you do this for a living?

Now he's really embarrassed.

Now, you two, let's get this knot finished off. Left over right then right over left - remember? OK that's good, now pull it tight, but mind his finger.

Good, now, one last really, really hard pull. Brilliant.

Ladies and Gentlemen, that's one of the best reef knots I've ever seen. A big hand for our volunteers please!


Jill is now leading the applause, clapping her hands - no longer bound - above her head, while the volunteers stare at the knotted loop in the rope. A hat would be passed round at this point while the audience were enthusiastic and likely to contribute more. Sometimes we got a free drink too.
Those were the days. How did I do it? Easy - while I was pointing at my wrist showing the volunteers where to tie them, I stole a couple of inches of slack with the third and fourth fingers of my left hand and jammed it between the heels of my hands. No amount of pulling will move that loop, so I could let them tie the knot as tight as they wished. All I had to do to get free was to pull my hands apart.

Harry Houdini really did invent that trick by the way.

Gillian B

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