Conjuring Credits

The Origins of Wonder

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Obtaining Information by Secret Whispering

The bold idea of learning a spectator's mental choice by secretly asking for it in a whisper to him, in an interchange during the performance that the audience does not perceive, is often called Dunninger's Ploy and is attributed to Joseph Dunninger. The idea was published in an anonymously authored exposé manuscript marketed to magicians, that documented a performance by Dunninger on January 9, 1927: Dunninger's Act Complete, c. 1927; see "The Cycle Experiment" on p. 6. This manuscript was reprinted in 1983 as Dunninger's Act, by Al Mann Exclusives.