Brother John Charles Hamman S.M. (September 3, 1927 – December 5, 2000) was a

close-up magic Close-up magic (also known as table magic or micromagic) is magic performed in an intimate setting usually no more than 3 meters (10 feet) from one's audience and is usually performed while sitting at a table. Sleight-of-hand, also known as pr ...

ian and

Marianist The Society of Mary (, abbreviated S.M.) is a clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men (brothers and priests) commonly known as the Marianists or Marianist Brothers and Priests. Members append the post-nominal letters "S.M. ...

Brother. The tricks he invented are still an integral part of many close-up magician's repertoire. Hamman was world-renowned in the magic community. His initial interest in the art started as a child. As he recuperated from

polio Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

, he spent hours learning, practicing and inventing

card tricks Card manipulation, commonly known as card magic, is the branch of Magic (illusion), magic that deals with creating effects using sleight of hand techniques involving playing cards. Card manipulation is often used in magical performances, especia ...

and other magic involving

sleight-of-hand Sleight of hand (also known as prestidigitation or ''legerdemain'' () comprises fine motor skills used by performing artists in different art forms to entertain or manipulate. It is closely associated with close-up magic, card magic, card flou ...

. In many cases, he "reinvented" classic maneuvers or streamlined them. He was a member of the

International Brotherhood of Magicians International Brotherhood of Magicians (I.B.M.) is an organization for both professional and amateur close-up and stage magicians, with approximately 15,000 members worldwide. The headquarters is in St. Charles, Missouri. There are over 300 l ...

, the Catholic Magicians' Guild and the

Society of American Magicians The Society of American Magicians (S.A.M.) is the oldest fraternal magic organization in the world. Its purpose is "to advance, elevate, and preserve magic as a performing art, to promote harmonious fellowship throughout the world of magic, and ...

Career

Hamman created more than 100 card magic tricks throughout his career. Among the many tricks he invented, he is best known for the Hamman Count, a

in which cards are falsely counted to give the impression that the magician holds more, or less, than he actually does. He authored many books and videos on magic and was invited to many local, national and international level (including FISM) magician gatherings to display his prowess and ability with cards. In 1995, Bro. Hamman was the first living magician to be honored during the first St. Louis Magical Heritage Awards, the "Hall of Fame" for local magicians. Professional magicians referred to Bro. Hamman as the "Magical Marianist." In his acceptance speech, Hamman explained the key to a successful magic performance: His first major publication was "The Card Magic of Bro. John Hamman, S.M.," published by Paul LePaul in 1958. In his foreword, LePaul wrote, The major collection of Hamman's work was and remains "The Secrets of Brother John Hamman," written and illustrated by Richard J. Kaufman in 1989. It is one of the best-selling books in magic and was highly acclaimed upon publication, containing 80 items. Among magicians, Bro. Hamman is still known as a Magician's Magician. The highest honor the magic community can bestow on one of its own, it refers to one's ability to amaze even fellow conjurers. Despite this, his first love was doing magic for his students.

Personal life

Bro. Hamman was born in

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, to Godfrey and Olivia (''née'' Ruoff) Hamman. He was one of two boys and a girl. The Loretto Sisters and

Sisters of Saint Joseph The Sisters of St. Joseph, also known as the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, abbreviated CSJ or SSJ, is a Catholic religious congregation of women founded in Le Puy-en-Velay, France, in 1650. This congregation, named for Saint Jo ...

taught him at St. Luke and St. Rose grade schools before he entered McBride High School in September, 1941. Influenced by Fr. John G. Leies and by his older brother Donald, who was already a Marianist candidate, the young John became a

postulant A postulant (from , "to ask") was originally one who makes a request or demand; hence, a candidate. The use of the term is now generally restricted to those asking for admission into a Christian monastery or a religious order for the period precedi ...

at Maryhurst in 1942. He pronounced first

vows A vow ( Lat. ''votum'', vow, promise; see vote) is a promise or oath. A vow is used as a promise that is solemn rather than casual. Marriage vows Marriage vows are binding promises each partner in a couple makes to the other during a wedding ...

at Marynook in

Galesville, Wisconsin Galesville is a city in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,662 at the 2020 census. A dam on Beaver Creek is located at Galesville, forming Lake Marinuka north of the city. The mayor is Vince Howe. History Galesvi ...

, on August 15, 1945, and final vows on July 10, 1951. In 1995 he celebrated the 50th anniversary of his religious profession as a Marianist. Bro. Hamman earned a bachelor's degree in education from the

University of Dayton The University of Dayton (UD) is a Private university, private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary (Marianists), Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the U ...

in 1948 and an M.A. in English from St. Louis University in 1963. In the fall of 1948 he began his teaching career at

Central Catholic Marianist High School Central Catholic High School is a Catholic, all-male, non-boarding college preparatory school located in the River North District of Downtown San Antonio, Texas, USA, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio. History The school began as ...

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, where he taught English. A year later he was assigned to

St. Michael's High School St. Michael's High School is a private Catholic junior/senior high school located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is privately run under the auspices of the international Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, b ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, where he stayed for two and a half years. In January, 1952 he was assigned to DeAndreis High School in St. Louis for the spring semester. Following this brief assignment, Brother John went to Coyle High School in August, 1952. Shortly thereafter, in October of the same year, he was diagnosed with a severe case of

. He spent two years at Maryhurst recuperating. Due to his illness, Bro. Hamman was only able to teach on a limited schedule. He was assigned to St. Mary's High School in 1954. After seven years, he returned to Central Catholic High School for a year before going to St. John Vianney High School in 1965. He was able to continue teaching there until he retired in 1986. Due to declining health and

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF typically pr ...

, he was assigned to the Marianist Residence in

in 1995.

Death

Brother John Hamman died on December 5, 2000, at the St. Joseph Healthcare Center in

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

, at age 73. He is interred in the Marianist Cemetery on the campus of St. Mary's University in San Antonio. Brother John's personal letters, documents, poetry, and writings are held at the National Archives Marianist Province in San Antonio, Texas, close to St. Mary's University.

Famous quotes

Original magic tricks

* 1-2-3-4 Ascanio * 1-2-3-4 Mates * 12345 Peek Thought * Acey-Deucy * Adventures of the Spotted * Alternative triplet * Amorphous Ace, The * Axes and Jaxes, The * Billy the Kid * Blind Chance * Blushing Joker * Chameleon Blues * Chinese Shuffle * Computer Deck * Cream Rises to the Top * Deck in Parvo * Devilish Miracle Retold * Diminishing Card to Dollar * Disobedient Cards, The * Do as I Do Aces * Double Take * Double-Deal Aces * Double-Deal Vanish * Eight Ball Queens * Fabulous Expanding Card * False Witness, The * Fan-to-See * Final Aces * Five Kings Royal * Flash Poker * Flight of Four * Flip Flop Aces * Four Pocket Mirror * Four-tunate Choice * Go Fish * Hal-Deuce-Ination * Hamman Count * Hippity-Hop Kings * Homing Card, The * Homing Card to Ter-ick-ific * Houdini Escapes * Interplay * Invisible Card, The * Jacks Come Back, The * Kings Through The Table * Knavish Deuces, The * Ladies Man, The * Liar's Lie * Lie Detector Case, The * Lolopolooza Hand, The * Magic Box * Magic Cards, The * Magician Matches Spectator * Magician Over Gambler * Marx Brothers, The * Micro-Macro * Multiplying Kings, The * My Lucky Day * Mystic Nine, The * Old Classic, The * Opposite Pockets * Out of Print * Peek Look Think * Pesky Card, The * Phoenix Four * Pickpocket * Pinochle Trick, The * Poker Palm Shift * Queens and Nines * Revenge on the Pink Panthers * Rook's Tour * Routines with Queens and Nines * Royal Gambol * Runic Nines * Sealed-Room Mystery * Second Deal * Seeing with the Fingertips * Seven O'clock Trick * Seven, The * Signed Card, The * Skipping Jacks * Spectator Outdeals * Magician ... Almost * Stun-sational * Tell-Tale Tongue * Thought Card in Case * Thought Cards Across * Three Guesses * Thunderstruck * Transparent Cards * Triple Cross * Triple Match * Twins, The * Twisting Revisited * Two-Card Trick, The * Two-Shuffles Harry * Underground Transposition * Universal Card * Up the Down Sleeve * Vanishing Cream * Watch me like a Hawk * What and Where Test * Wild all the Way * Wild Card *

Zarrow shuffle Zarrow shuffle is a sleight of hand technique that gives the appearance of being a normal riffle shuffle, but in fact leaves the cards in exactly the same order. This is an example of a false shuffle. It was invented by magician Herb Zarrow c. ...

(Hamman's Version)

Bibliography

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Videography

Notes

References

External links

Bro. John Hamman at MagicPedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamman, John Charles 1927 births 2000 deaths American magicians Marianists Gale College alumni University of Dayton alumni Entertainers from St. Louis Entertainers from San Antonio People from Trempealeau County, Wisconsin Catholics from Texas Catholics from Wisconsin Catholics from Missouri