The Magic of Orson Welles
On the spotlight in this week’s History of Magic is Orson Welles, whom movie fans will know for his ground-breaking films like Citizen Kane, The Lady from Shanghai, and The Third Man. Even today, cinema students study his innovative film techniques, while historians remember him for the night he terrorised a nation with his radio play, “The War of the Worlds.” Orson Welles was a writer, director, actor, broadcaster and all-around genius. He was also a magician. He loved to perform magic and at this he was superb.
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In this week’s History of Magic, we focus the spotlight on Fred Kaps. Kaps was born Abraham Pieter Adrianus Bongers in Rotterdam, Holland on June 8th 1926. He was known colloquially as Bram Bongers. He collected coupons from oatmeal boxes to purchase a box of magic tricks when he was 9 years old. The local hairdresser Piet Verschagen was an amateur magician who often did magic for his clients and was noted for his vanishing matches trick, which Bram learnt from him. Young Bram would rush home after his haircuts to practice everything he was taught. Fred Kaps went on to win three FISM (Fédération Internationale des Sociétés Magiques ) Grand Prix’s, and he was the first magician ever to do so. FISM hosts the World Congress of Magic every four years since its inception in 1948. It is the world’s premier magicians’ conclave and top-level competition.
In this week’s History of Magic, we discuss the life of renowned magician Cardini, who in 1958 was proclaimed by the New England Magic Society as “the greatest exponent of pure sleight of hand the world has even known.” Cardini was born Richard Valentine Thomas on 24th November 1895, in the small mining district of Mumbles in Wales. As a youngster, Cardini was influenced by people like Chung Ling Soo, Nate Leipzeig, and the Great LaFayette. When he was a young man, he joined the British Army in WW1, where he fought in the trenches until he was wounded. He practiced his sleight of hand in the freezing trenches wearing gloves that were to later become an integral part of his act, and he continued to practice his sleight of hand diligently while recuperating at the hospital.
In this week’s History of Magic, we shine the spotlight on Derren Brown, who is regarded by many as the most extraordinary entertainer alive today. Derren is possibly one of the most intriguing living performers this century has ever seen. The English Illusionist mentalist was born on February 27th 1971 in London. Brown was privately educated at Whitgift School in South Croydon, then studied law and German at Bristol University where he witnessed a hypnosis show by Martin Taylor. This was the stimulus that inspired Derren to decide on a career as a magician hypnotist. During his undergraduate years he began to give stage shows at the university, and did close up magic at local bars and restaurants. At the same time he became a prolific writer on all things magical that soon came to the attention of Objective Productions who launched his first show, “Mind Control”, in 2000 that was an instant success. After further Objective Production shows Derren Brown established his own very successful Production Company and went on to establish himself as one of the world’s premier, psychological performers.