Theodore "Theo" Annemann (born Theodore John Squires; February 22, 1907 – January 12, 1942), stage name Ted Anneman, was an American professional magician who specialized in the field of

mentalism Mentalism is a performing art in which its practitioners, known as mentalists, appear to demonstrate highly developed mental or intuitive abilities. Mentalists perform a theatrical act that includes special effects that may appear to employ ...

. 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 A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts record keeping as well as general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include Records managem ...

and then got into showbusiness as a

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

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

. It is notable for exposing the

billet reading Billet reading, or the envelope trick, is a mentalism, 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 sinc ...

tricks of the medium Bert Reese. 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 20th-century American people