Designer: P.T. Selbit

PT Selbit: Magical Innovator tells us that Selbit developed Mile a Minute Mystery in Christmas of 1928 for performances at St. George’s Hall. It’s possible the name for the effect was taken from Howard Thurston who used the name 13 years earlier. The theme for the effect used Chicago gangsters, who were in the news quite often at the time.

Selbit told a story about how the Chicago police now were using a quick means for transporting gangsters to the police station. At this, a motorcycle and sidecar were wheeled onto the stage. The sidecar consisted of a tall cage of steel bars with shackles inside. Blinds were able to be drawn to hide the prisoner from the public.

A girl dressed as a gangster in men’s clothing was placed into the cage and shackled by the neck, wrists, and ankles. The blinds were drawn and the motorcycle circled the stage. The blinds flew up and the girl was free.

A man from the audience was blindfolded and placed into the cage with the girl. The process was repeated only this time the girl vanished leaving the man alone.

At this point Selbit mentioned he had always wanted to vanish a member from the audience so he placed a black hood over the man’s head and the rear curtain was then raised revealing the “garage” for the motorcycle. The garage was actually a four-walled structure with sloping roof.

The hooded volunteer was placed back into the sidecar cage and the motorcycle drove up the ramp into the garage and the door closed. The audience would hear the machine “revving up.” Following a flash of light, the noise stopped, the door fell open, and the man, driver, and cycle had all vanished. But the girl who had previously vanished was now standing in their place.

As the front curtain fell, Selbit would step forward to take his bow and the vanished member of the audience was brought out from the wings. The cycle and cage were parked in front of the theater and the audience was then invited to inspect it at their leisure upon exiting.

NOTABLE FIRST PERFORMANCE: PT Selbit: Magical Innovator also recorded Selbit’s first performance at St. George’s Hall. Right as the girl was shackled and the cycle engine started, fire burst from the motorcycle and scorched the driver’s legs forcing him to jump clear. The girl hastily freed herself and jumped out as well. Stage hands used fire extinguishers but it spread the flames because it was an oil fire. A fire hose also had no effect and the fire was only put out after sand buckets were used.

Selbit had stood by watching during the fire and when it was over he calmly sighed and said, “Now we will proceed.” The act did proceed although the cycle had to be pushed around by stage hands!

Although unfortunate, the accident actually generated great publicity and people flocked to see the act, possibly hoping it would happen again! One of the leading British newspapers, The Daily Express, reported it to be one of the most brilliant illusions the Maskelynes had staged in years.