However, Leland had no particular interest in magic and so, he made Theo pay him handsomely for his help. One of his feature tricks became the Substitution Trunk, and, not having a regular assistant ne would enlist the help of his younger brother, Leland. His first shows as a teenager consisted of a series of ‘magic’ effects including Wine & Water, 20th Century Silks, Colour Changing Silks, Torn & Restored Paper and The Brahmin Rice Bowls. His first experience in show business included being a tenor singer and then a magician’s assistant before becoming successful performer in his own right. Annemann knew instinctively, it was the effect that counted above all else.ĭuring his boyhood days Theo was rather quiet and preferred solitude to the company of his schoolmates and devoted most of his time to his passion of magic. Although the effects he created often utilized old principles, his methods were original, emphasizing bold and subtle approaches and presentation rather than complex routines or sleight-of-hand. He was a voracious reader of magic literature, be it books, manuscripts or secrets in general and by the age of 17 he was competent and knowledgeable enough to start contributing a number of articles to The Linking Ring and The Sphinx – his first contribution being “An Additional Effect of the X-Ray Eyes” by Theo J Anneman (the first and only time he used his middle initial in connection with his publishing). He looked like an oddity, mysterious, slightly dangerous, someone who looked like he might actually be able to read minds and it was at that time he began performing magic around Waverly. He favoured strange haircuts including asymmetric styles with shaved sides and pompadours before settling on an exaggerated widows peak. Have you got a match for this? Theo”Īs a teenager he rebelled against the ordinary. “Dear Mama, when you look through these pages, I hope you remember when you burned my magic books in the furnace. The setback didn’t stop Annemann from pursuing his passion and about 15 years later he sent her a bound copy with the first 50 issues of The Jinx with a note His mother was so concerned by his obsession with magic and lack of interest in getting a formal education that she burned all of his magic books. He would often skip school and his mother was forced to accompany him each morning and noon it got so bad that the chief of police threatened to lock up Mrs Anneman if Theo didn’t attend. At the age of 14 he was able to purchase his first full A.C. He was hooked and studied the art day and night and spent all the money he earned delivering the Elmira ‘Star Gazette’ (at one time up to 400 copies daily) at the magic dealers. And so began his obsessive fascination with magic. He was so captivated by the effect that he immediately purchased his own and would constantly display his magic powers to any one who would watch. Theo was fascinated by magic from the age of 10 when a school friend showed him the ‘Ball and Vase Trick’. Anneman (he would not add the extra ‘n’ to his name until 1930). At two years old, Theodore’s father Fred Squires, left him and his family and Annemann’s mother, Flavilla, remarried soon after to Stanley Anneman the family took on their step-father’s last name and the young Theo became, Theo. Annemann has been referred to as the Van Gogh of the magic world, a creative genius whose life was besieged by personal problems including a fragile and frail personality, anxiety and severe depression.Īnneman was born Theodore John Squires in East Waverly, New York on 22 February 1907. His manner and style reflected that of an ordinary person, with extraordinary powers, which related to the audiences of the time, leaving them stunned by the effects. He possessed the uncanny ability to demonstrate mental or intuitive abilities and was a specialist in telepathy, clairvoyance, divination, precognition, mind control, memory feats and rapid mathematics. Often referred to as the person who had the biggest impact on popularizing mentalism, Annemann was a hugely creative master of both magic and mind reading effects with a panache and performing style credited with changing the course of mentalism. Theodore Annemann was one of the most respected mind readers the world has ever seen a prolific writer and inventor (or re-inventor) of creative, practical and direct mentalism effects and another ‘giant’ for whom remarkably little is documented regarding his illustrious, yet short-lived life.
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