Johnny Thompson – Routine For The Balls And The Net

The magician causes three balls to magically pass from one hand to the other. This is repeated with some comedic by-play and followed by a sequence where the magician places two balls his hand and a third into his pocket and， with the snap of a finger， causes the pocketed ball to rejoin the other two in his hand. This is repeated several times， eventually building to a climax that ends with a startling vanish of the three balls.

The original effect is Chinese in origin and was performed with marbles placed in the performer’s mouth. Silent Mora (Louis McCord) westernized the effect by eliminating the distasteful action of placing marbles in the mouth. Instead he performed it entirely in his hands and， with the aid of a handkerchief held by two spectators， was able to perform it under impromptu conditions. Dai Vernon enhanced the effect by suggesting that Mora use a close-meshed net in place of the handkerchief for better visibility.
This version of the Balls and the Net is based on Oscar Pladek’s “Pop-up Move” (Pallbearer’s Revue， April 1973， “A Modem Chinese Marvel，” page 611) and the “Double Rollout，” a two ball derivation of the move by Ed Mao (Linking Ring， Vol. 37， issue #4， “Silver Spheres，” page 82). The idea of applying the “Double Rollout” to accomplish the Mora effect was conceived by David Roth and the use of a black chiffon scarf， instead of a net， is Billy McComb’s.