Theodore "Theo" Annemann (born Theodore John Squires; February 22, 1907 – January 12, 1942), stage name Ted Anneman, was an American professional
magician
Magician or The Magician may refer to:
Performers
* A practitioner of magic (supernatural)
* A practitioner of magic (illusion)
* Magician (fantasy), a character in a fictional fantasy context
Entertainment
Books
* ''The Magician'', an 18th-ce ...
who specialized in the field of
mentalism. He is most famous for inventing and refining many of the standard mentalism routines that continue to be used by mentalists today.
Biography
Early in his life, Annemann began working as a railroad
clerk and then got into
showbusiness as a
tenor
A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...
singer and a magician's assistant. He eventually became interested in mentalism and used his invention and performance skills to become one of the most talented and respected mentalists of the 1930s. Annemann perfected his own version of the famous
bullet catch illusion, performing the effect outdoors. Accounts of his performance describe the feat as a dramatic effect wherein Annemann would collapse from the apparent force of the gun and then produce the bullet from his blood-drenched mouth.
In 1934, Annemann began publishing the famous magazine ''
The Jinx'', for magicians. The magazine was focused on mentalism, but also featured ground-breaking effects from other fields of magic. The publication of the magazine ceased after Annemann's death and copies of it have become collector's items. Effects from the magazine have been published in several books and manuscripts, among them ''Ted Annemann's Practical Mental Magic''. This book is considered a classic in
mentalism. It is notable for exposing the
billet reading
Billet reading, or the envelope trick, is a mentalist effect in which a performer pretends to use clairvoyance to read messages on folded papers or inside sealed envelopes. It is a widely performed "standard" of the mentalist craft since the middle ...
tricks of the medium
Bert Reese
Bert Reese (1851–1926) was an American-Polish medium and mentalist, most well known for his billet reading demonstrations.
Biography
Reese was born Berthold Riess in Posen. He was a spiritualist and friend of Aleister Crowley. He claimed to p ...
. His book ''Practical Mental Effects'', while often criticised for being old fashioned, contained the 'secrets' behind the effects many mentalists still use today.
Annemann was married twice and had a daughter by his first wife. His personality is the subject of much speculation. Two weeks before Annemann was scheduled to perform his bullet catch indoors for the first time, he committed suicide.
[. Retrieved June 20, 2016.]
Books
Manuscripts by Annemann
*''Card Miracles'' (1929)
''Mental Mysteries''(1929)
*''The Book With a Name'' (1931)
*''The Book Without a Name'' (1931)
*''The Trick of the Month Club Presents: A Dead Name Duplication'' (1931)
''202 Methods of Forcing''(1933)
*''Annemann Manuscripts'' (1933)
''Sh-h-h--!: It's a Secret''(1934)
''Annemann's Complete One Man Mental And Psychic Routine''(1935)
''Annemann's Mental Bargain Effects''(1935)
''En Rapport''(1937)
*''The Incorporated Strange Secrets'' (1939)
Edited posthumously
*''Ted Annemann's Full Deck of Impromptu Card Tricks'' (1943)
*''Ted Annemann's Practical Mental Effects'' (1944)
''Annemann's Miracles of Card Magic''(1948)
*''Annemann's Buried Treasures'' (1952)
*''Miracles of Card Magic'' (1964)
*''Annemann's Card Magic'' (1977)
''Practical Mental Magic''(1983)
Biography
*''Annemann, Life and Times of a Legend'' by Max Abrams, L & L Publishing (1992)
References
External links
Sanders The Great: Theodore AnnemannClip of Annemann performing the bullet catch
(YouTube.com)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Annemann, Theodore
1907 births
1942 deaths
American magicians
American skeptics
Mentalists
1942 suicides
Suicides in the United States