- In the days of King Earth, they lived in Camelot, A source who entertained the royal court with miraculous feet south, magic high.

Above the castle walls, the ancient ne meets with members of the magic round table.

Come with us now to the secret room of Merlin.

- Welcome, welcome once more to my secret room.

I'm glad you could come today because I have right here in case you're wondering what this is.

Grandpa Merlin's haunted cabinet spooks appear in that cabinet and jump around and do all kind of crazy things.

Well, not real spooks.

You and I know that spooks don't exist, right?

They're magic tricks designed to look scary and spooky.

But to check our pretend spook in the cabinet, I need a, well, I need what's called a magic tambourine.

This is a magic tambourine.

And I'll put that in the cabinet and we'll see if our little, pretend spooky friend is there.

I don't know if this is going to work or not, but I'll, I'll put it down in there.

And if you concentrate and watch this window right here, something might happen.

Watch, see, see, I don't see anything in there at all.

I thought if I looked in, I'd see someone in there, but no one was in there at all.

Wonder if that'll happen again.

Still no one there, but something threw that tambourine out on the floor.

Now, for the second test with a spirit bell, looks like a regular bell, doesn't it?

The way you see what happens.

Watch.

I'm gonna place a spirit bell right in the corner of the cabinet.

You might even see it.

Walk across here.

Watch.

Jump for right out in my hand.

And it's still ringing.

Oh, oh my.

That's strong.

I'm gonna give the bell to George Genie and we'll check Grandpa Merlin's spooky handkerchief.

This trick is called the haunted handkerchief, and I think you'll understand why.

When you see me tie the hanky into a knot that looks like a a man's head, we'll pretend that this is a person and this is his head.

When Grandpa Merlin did this, the hanky went in this window like that, out this window over here, jumped on the floor and did all kind of crazy things.

Watch our little haunted handkerchief.

Watch.

Slowly, gently.

That's nice.

You can peek out there for a moment.

Yes.

Just come hold it, hold it, hold it there.

Now back over here.

Fine.

Sometimes his body becomes stiff and he just, he just stays right there.

Just stays in one spot Out on the floor.

Up.

Come on.

I hope he didn't hurt himself.

Come on up.

A little harder.

A little harder.

Come on.

Oh, one more time.

Now stay up there on your hind legs.

Hold it Now walk over to me.

Jump up the hat's it.

This is our haunted hanky.

You're tired.

So why don't you just, just sit down right here.

Just stay right there.

That's it.

No, I want you to stay down.

Right like that.

Will you stay down please?

In my hand.

Oh, up, up.

Over, up.

I know what I can do.

I'll fix this little rascal.

I've got a gun from the 20th century and I'm just going to, oh, I didn't mean to hurt you.

I, I was just trying to scare him.

Look what happens.

That's what happens when people play with guns.

Guns are very dangerous.

I guess my finger was loaded.

I think that our little friend has, well, he's stiffening.

I think he has, yes.

It's rigor.

Mortis is set in.

Look at his body.

It's stiff as a rod.

I'll grab him by the neck.

There's just one thing to do when hankies die and go to spirit.

Heaven.

There's only one thing, and that is to snap your finger like this.

And sometimes they become alive again.

Ah, out on the floor.

That's fine.

I'm gonna pick him up.

Where'd you go?

I'm gonna do this very, very, I better pick him up and see if he's all right.

First he is onto my little game, so I'll trick him.

I won't use my hand up.

Easy, easy, easy, easy, easy.

That's the way up.

All the way.

You can do it.

You can do it.

Good.

Keep in step.

- Goodbye.

- Goodbye, goodbye.

Goodbye.

My little haunted handkerchief, friend.

Goodbye.

See you again soon, I hope.

And thanks for that trick, hanky and Grandpa Merlin.

And I enjoyed it.

Hope you did too.

We're gonna do another trick right now.

It's called Making the Sword Excalibur Rise.

Will you help me do that?

To make Excalibur rise from the stone, we have to say the magic words.

You remember them, don't you?

Alright, let's, let's say the words together.

Philly Die.

Philly D. Magic sword.

Rise for me.

Don't we say it loudly.

Philly Die.

Philly D. Magic sword Rise for me.

And the magic word, I should say words.

Are two of them good deeds.

You've heard of good deeds, haven't you?

In your 20th century, all boy scouts do good deeds.

They help other people.

But you know where it all started?

It started back in the year 700 ad 700 years after the death of Christ.

And this man, this good king brought it all about, who is this man, do you suppose?

Well, he is a king, so we'd better put the proper crown on him.

This particular king was known for his magic round table.

Abel.

That's right.

He had a round table at a place called Camelot.

He had a handlebar mustache that looked something like that.

And he used to like to put his hand under his chin on his great wooden chair at the head of the round table at Camelot.

And he would talk to his many knight right next to him on his left sat Merlin.

That's right.

I used to sit on his left, right over here.

And on this side, Galahad sat.

I better put his beard because he did have quite a long, unruly beard when he became 40 years old.

Now he put his right elbow on the chair and he put his other hand right here on the arm of the chair like that.

Now in front of him, I can't draw all of it.

In front of him was a round table.

And he talked to all of his knights and said, this is an evil time.

Many people are being slain.

They're being killed.

They're being robbed.

Women are being taken advantage of and harmed.

I want you to protect the weak.

I want you to punish the wicked and do a good deed every day of your life.

Come to the round table and tell me the good deed that you have done.

And this good man's name was, do you have any idea?

His name was King Arthur.

King Arthur of the round table.

And he taught the nice to help women and children and people who were weak and in firm and crippled to do good for them to help others.

And the Boy Scouts of America do the same thing, don't they?

And the Girl Scouts in your 20th century, you don't have to be a boy scout or a girl scout, but it would be nice if you were, you can belong to the round table and tell me about the good deeds you do, and I'll make you a member of the magic round table and send you your membership card and your magic wand.

You know some of the most important good deeds that are done?

I, I get these every day.

I got some 350 letters from Wisconsin last week.

You know the most popular good deed you could do for mother or dad.

You know what?

Make the bed.

That's a simple thing.

And it would make mom happy.

Make the bed.

You know the next one, babysit.

If you're a little bit older, you can babysit, right?

Clean your room.

Don't leave your toys and everything on the floor.

Clean your room.

Many things like that you can do.

These are modern 20th century good deeds that you do in your day, in your 20th century.

You can do those things.

Will you do that for me?

Do good deeds for your mother and dad.

Do you hear something?

If you hear what I hear that march, is it the handkerchief again?

I am gonna look out here and see if it's in the hall.

I'm gonna turn around here.

Don't see it there.

What's that?

Beg your pardon?

It's not in the cabinet.

No, I don't see it in there.

What?

Wait a minute.

I think this little rascal played another trick on me.

This is our haunted hanky.

You remember that?

It marched out and it came back again.

Well, as I said, grandpa Merlin loved to do this trick.

It was his favorite trick, the haunted handkerchief.

And he did it many, many, many times for me when I was a youngster.

I'm going to practice it now in my secret room, but before I do, I wanna remind you to join the magic round table.

Tell me of your good deed.

Write to Merlin in care of this station.

Alright?

Write to Merlin and care of this station and I'll send you your membership and your magic wand.

Do a lot of good deeds for mother and dad, will you fine.

Thank you.

Bye now.

Bye.

Goodbye.

In the studio of Ohio University Television, Athens, Ohio.