Variety acts had to have 'bill matter', the by-line that followed their name on the bills (never referred to as posters by professionals). What thought and stress must have gone into creating these. Turns would try to conjure up a catchy line that would capture the essence of the act, help sell it, and most important, be completely different to everyone else's. Jack Le Dair's 'bill matter' was “That Amazing Trickologist” and I saw him at the Hull Tivoli Theatre on February 18 1946. His act consisted of mainly small tricks presented in an entertaining manner. He opened with the Cut and Restored Newspaper which, instead of tearing, he cut with a paper knife making a neat bundle of cut papers. With a shake of his hands they became beautifully restored. Then followed 'Cigarette Making'. Jack selected a cigarette paper and made his hand into a fist, he pushed in the paper,followed by some tobacco and on pushing them through his fist, they were transformed into a cigarette. Jack lit the cigarette and performed some sleight of hand moves with it. But, suddenly, the audience were aware that he was no longer smoking a cigarette, it had changed into a cigar. Blowing a cloud of smoke he reached up and produced a shower of cigarettes. It's a good job that there was no ban on smoking in theatres in those days!

Members of the theatre band were often involved in an act's antics and occasionally were the butt of the comedian's jokes. Jack performed an intriguing mystery next involving the participation of a musician. Le Dair asked a violinist in the theatre orchestra to lend him his bow. Taking a piece of newspaper he wrapped the bow in it and then proceeded to crush the paper. The bow had disappeared. The violinist was not amused, but the magician
reached under his jacket and produced the missing bow. A spectator was then asked to take a playing card, tear it into eight pieces and to keep one. The other pieces were wrapped in tissue paper and put in an envelope. A cigarette was borrowed from a member of the audience, lit and smoked for a few seconds. The magician tore open the cigarette and a playing card was taken from it. The card was discovered to be the one selected earlier, minus the piece held by the spectator who was asked to fit the two pieces together. They fitted perfectly. When the envelope that contained the torn pieces was opened it was seen to contain tobacco.

The act concluded with an unusual demonstration. Le Dair presented a number of matchstick puzzles that he had adapted for the stage. The display board he used measured four-feet-sixinches square and the matches were
ten-inches in length and one-inch wide. After showing half-a-dozen puzzles he demonstrated 'Match Geography' - how to represent the names of towns and places using only four matches. The following are examples:
DUBLIN - Two matches taken from the board and laid on top of the other two - Doubling.
ALTRINCHAM - Move four matches about the board into any odd position - Altering 'em.
TRURO - Four matches set in perfectly straight row - A true row
ROTTEN ROW - All matches set askew
OLDHAM - Two matches held high - Hold 'em
CLAPHAM - “My last is without matches; I leave you to guess” - Clap 'em.

Well they were funny in 1946 - maybe someone could get some laughs with these even now. Closing Jack Le Dair's show was a Music Hall show, in miniature! This included a performer on a horizontal bar, a skeleton dancer, a chair balancer, two trick cyclists and a unicyclist on a tightrope. The artiste closing the show was a magician. All of the artistes were matchstick figures used as string puppets.

Jack Le Dair was born in Plymouth    in 1880 and lived until 1952. His real name was John Albert Warton. The year I saw Jack perform in Hull (1946) he published his Tricks of a Trouper. Like many visiting magical performers Jack was invited to attend a supper with Hull Magicians' Circle members after one of his performances.