Hi: What are the best lengths of rope for the Professor's Nightmare?

I go by the size of a magician's hand. The medium rope can start off being 12 inches, (give or take a few inches. The other two must equal 12 inches when they are in the secret position, centered in the palm of your hand. The top ends can overlap the top of your hand an inch or two. They make different widths also. The minimum is usually a quarter of an inch. The maximum is usually three quarters of an inch. Hope this helps.

Dynamike

Marty
How tall are you, how long are your arms, and how big are your hands? Richard Sanders recommends 9", 26" & 47".
Al

Al doing professor's nightmare stretch arms out cut two ropes equal length. Then cut small portion of one rope 6 to 8 inches. This makes the ropes equal when showing three ropes.

Boy I wish I could illustrate my system here. Briefly you take about six feet of rope and hold one end in your left hand, take the other end by your right and lay it over the end in your left (like and X) with about 3 or 4 inches of the ends sticking above your hand.

Now, hold both at X with left, and right hand grips the original top that was in left and pulls it over and down until the end reaches the loop at the bottom.

Cut the loop at the bottom and at the top and you have 3 pieces all set for PNM.

Slydini has a method in which he starts doing the cut and restored rope, then goes right into the professor's nightmare. It is a little complicated, but you divide the rope into three, then do a move with the end of the rope. When you then cut the ropes, it looks like three equal ropes when in fact there are three different sized rope. It is in his book and well worth looking up and learning.

Craig

Hi Everyone: Thanks so much for all the suggestions. I'll try each one of them and see which one feels the most comfortable. Thanks again, Marty.

Slydini's is similar to what I do but more complex and frankly doesn't look as much like you are not doing anything other than dividing the rope into thirds. Mine eliminates the phoney cut/restored rope switch.

Actually, I have been cutting mine from rope left from the prior trick on stage during my act for about thirty-three years. Now that I am finally sixty, I plan to put that whole routine on DVD in 2006. As Pete says, "Stay Tooned".

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

Hi everyone,

On my "In the Trenches" DVD, I perform the C & R rope and then go into the Prof.'s Nitemare. I cut the lengths during that performance.

Pete Biro showed me his method and it works well. I also researched the Slydini method and it, too, works well.

I will be interested in Bob Sanders' DVD when it is released.

Enjoy the search.

Regards,

Paul Green

Andy Warhole said everyone will have 15 minutes of fame before he dies, and I'm beginning to think every magician will put out a DVD before he dies. So that being said I can't wait to buy my buddie Bob's DVD.
Al Angello

Al,

Thank you. Unfortunately my rope routine is seven minutes! Do I get two shots?

You know I started out riding against 8 seconds? There were too many times when I didn't make that. (Watch me try to walk on rainy days.) I really do prefer performing with doves instead of bulls. This may take a while.

Paul knows that I bought his "In The Trenches" from him. It is very good. I told him I was going to steal his ending but I'm not old enough yet. His ending keeps it magic. It doesn't quite fit the way I do my show because I like to give the ropes away. But that's just one of my old bad habits. Cowboys are afraid of cut ropes. (The "experience" mark across my forehead and right eye might be a reminder. Even worse, it embarrassed my roping horse.)

I know that I am not the only 1945 model on this forum! Being hard of dying is something I plan to really work hard on for a long time. I want to say, “Why, I knew John Calvert when he was just a hundred and twenty-five.” And I hope Pete shoots the photo!

Besides, like George Burns used to say, “I can’t die. I’m booked!”

It’s great to have friends you like to cut up with, with or without rope. This crew has gone to all lengths to be the Professor’s Nightmare.

The right lengths are a ratio. The rest is just taste.

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

Pete: I'm going to try your method. If you think is it cleaner than Slydini's, its worth learning.

Thanks

Craig

The cleanest method for getting a long rope into Professor's Nightmare position, and making it look like you're cutting it into 3 equal loops of rope can be found in Jose DeLaTorre's "Magicana of Havana in New York." I believe it is available through Meir Yedid.
L. Zaslow

When I used to do this I thought the Slydini method was pretty clean but admit I don't know any others. These days it's a collection of moves from Fiber Optics all the way.

Cellini teaches the Slydini's Method of the Professor's Nightmare on his Street Magic DVD Vol II (Great DVD Set)

kOnO

As a cool follow up to the Professor's nightmare, try Dan harlan's Awakening at Magic Inc.

Better yet, incorporate an entire routine around the PN.
Try Dances with Ropes, available at any shop.
BTW awakenings as a followup to PN is redundant, it is one or the other.

For a total 96+" piece of rope (to allow for trimming):
Long = 52"
Medium = 32"
Short = 12"

Is this right? I would expect all variations to have the longest and smallest = 200% of the middle length.