I'm not personally fond of the "Magician in Trouble plot" because I don't know if my acting skills are honed well enough to pull it off. However, there is one effect you can carry around with you that won't take up a lot of pocket space. is easy to do, and lends itself perfectly to that plot. Although designed as a serious effect, I see it more as more as a comedy / light hearted effect. MANIVELLE is by Sebastian Calbry, a French magician who creates a lot of effects with gimmicked deck boxes and cards. Manivelle is basically a self rising card trick. A card is chosen and placed back in the deck and cut. The deck is then placed in the box and the magician then takes a crank, places onto the back of the card box deck and turns the crank. Lo and behold, the card rises.
I see a lot more mileage can be gotten out of it if you incorporate a little theatrics and the audience. In y mind I see the magician theatrically calling for the card to rise. It doesn't, so he tries again. Once more the card does not rise. A third attempt is made but no luck. This would be considered an emergency to a magician, so a crank is produced and handed to the spectator who picked the card and they place the crank on the box and turn. Amazingly, they produce the chosen card. The card pack are cleverly constructed. Obviously this setup is a one trick pony and if you don't mind carrying a deck for one trick this is fun. The one thing I did add which doesn't come with the deck is an Emergency Procedures label which I printed and placed on deck over the advert on the back. I would have the spectator read it aloud and give them the little crank which would be placed on the back of the deck as they rotate it and the card rises.