Last night I attended a lecture by Mike O’Brian…One of the tricks that he performed was a Larry Jennings effect called ‘Uni-Flection’. Mike said that it could be found In “The Classic Magic of Larry Jennings”.
However I have seen Michael Vincent perform the same trick before…Yet he calls it ‘Look An Illusion’; apparently from “Larry Jennings On Card and Coin Handling”.
Mike even mentioned that he had talked to Michael about the trick on several occasions, which rather clarifies the fact that they are the same effect…But which is the correct title, and which book does it come from?
It is possible that one is a re-working of the other yet to me this seems unlikely…

A brief description of the trick is:
2 spectators each select a card; they are placed into the deck. Four cards are taken from the top of the deck, and each one is shown one by one to be the first spectator’s card! The Cards are then showed again and they are all seen to be the second spectators card…One last time the cards are shown, but this time all four are seen to be jokers!
It might be that the two effects are slightly different…Or they may be the same…
Thank you,
Owen

Owen,
I looked up the effect in the "Classics" book and found Uni-Flection. In reading the efect, it matches the efect you described. Unfortunately, I do not have "Larry Jennings On Card And Coin Handling", so I cannot check the refernce there. I will say that some magicians have been known for changing the titles to some of their tricks when putting the in print in different places. This could be what has happened here.


Best,
Trini Montes

If Michael Vincent says that it is "Look an Illusion" then it will be.

"Look an Illusion" appeared in Genii as well as Card & Coin Handling. The effect is slightly different than what you describe: Five cards are shown (not 4) these are seen to be 4 Jokers with an AS in the middle - when next shown you have four AS with a Joker in the middle. Finally you deal the cards out and you have 4 Kings.

Peter

Peter is right. Look - An Illusion is different. It is also one of the early packet tricks that started the craze for packet tricks that overtook us in the seventies. It appeared in Larry's one man issue of Genii in 1971, I think. I have the issue and all his early notes as well. It is in his notes from the Japan tour in 1967, in his regular notes from 1965, and then in the magazine. Busby may have included it in Jennings On Card and Coin Handling, though I don't remember it specifically. You can see the Vernon-Erdnase influence in this effect. Jennings uses the Erdnase break to great advantage. It is also a great sucker effect for magicians, since the display is obvious to many, and sets you up for the surprise ending. Also interesting to note the discrepancy - five cards used for the first two phases, and only four remain for the kicker ending... There's lots to learn from this trick.

Best, PSC

May I correct the year Larry Jennings did Japan tour?
It was 1969. He escorted Dai Vernon and visited, Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. It was Nagoya where they dramatically met Dr.Sawa.

September 1969 issue of GENII is Japan special including this information of their tour.

Hideo Kato

Further to the above, see here for the contents of On Card and Coin Handling (Look-An Illusion)and here for The Classic Magic of Larry Jennings (Uni-Flection). A very brief description of each effect is also given.

According to this post, Michael Vincent has a liking for both.

Best reaction to "Look, An Illusion" from a magician.

"How many gimmicked cards does it use?"

Van

Thanks for the responce guys, it obviously seems as though I have got the two tricks mucked up...Although when I saw Michael Vincent perform 'Look an Illusion' I am sure he asked two people to pick a card...So maybe he has mixed the names up?
Thanks any way...Also for the reference in Genii...Is there any where that has these old copies of Genii? I don't think that the Genii website has back issues this old.
Owen