Ricky Jay And His Ladies

I first saw Ricky Jay on television in 1976 on Doug Henning’s second World of Magic Special. With his long flowing hair and full beard, and dressed in a conservative suit, he was a striking contradiction in terms – especially for that time. When he did his now renowned handling of The Exclusive Coterie from Erdnase...

I remember after the special it was all my older sister and I could talk about. This was before I got into magic, so I didn’t really understand what this thing was I’d seen – but I knew I liked it a lot. Three decades later and, while the details are now hazy, I still remember the joy the trick gave me.

Here’s Ricky Jay performing the effect on his 52 Assistants HBO special.