John Mendoza Lecture – A Timeless Masterclass in Card Magic

On August 2, 1982, Martin Breese hosted a captivating lecture by John Mendoza, which was recorded for future release. Due to Martin’s numerous commitments, this valuable footage remained unreleased for years. We have salvaged the recording from two vintage Umatic tapes provided by Martin. While the video quality reflects its 1980s origins, with some imperfections like stripes and ghost images, the audio remains clear. This recording captures Mendoza at the age of 35, showcasing his incredible talent.

In this lecture, John Mendoza reveals and elaborates on several impressive card magic routines from his extensive repertoire, concluding with his renowned chop cup and cups and balls performances.

• The Color Changing Deck
• Ambitious 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
• Zarrow Shuffle and its application for red-black separation
• Cutting to the Four Aces (a simplified version of Derek Dingle’s Open Sesame)
• A Gambler’s Dream: Cutting to the Four Aces
• The Simple Collection (an easy method based on a Roy Walton plot)
• Four Queens Transforming into Four Aces, culminating in a climax with a queen appearing from a closed card case
• Queen Assembly with tips for the Elmsley Count
• The Invisible Palm without the D’Amico Spread
• Chop Cup
• Cups and Balls