Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Jinx Navigator

Issue #24 is a strong one — Stuart James contributes two effects including Jay's personal favorite, Annemann's Think It Over column returns with a long run of practical performance advice, and the issue closes with a two-person card match that hinges on a fan the helper thinks they can see through but can't.

Effects Covered

[1:05] Editorial — Theodore Annemann Blackstone has wrapped seven weeks of exposure columns without exposing a single trick from his own act — Annemann repeats his standing dare. Also: a con man's trick with a roll of bills, and practical advice on what to do when a spectator catches you mid-trick (don't walk away).

[3:14] Miraskill — Stuart James This one is Jay's personal favorite. A shuffled borrowed deck sorted by color pairs produces two piles whose difference the performer predicted — then a second shuffle produces piles of equal size, also predicted. The deck does the work; the only move is quietly removing a few cards before the first phase and secretly returning them before the second.

[4:56] Think It Over — Theodore Annemann Drop the clichéd opening line. Vary your handling between effects. Ten minutes of daily mirror practice beats ten magicians' opinions. Never borrow something you could easily carry. Don't needle your helpers for laughs at their expense. Buy the best materials you can afford — cheap materials cap the performance.

[6:29] Business Cards — Theodore Annemann Period magicians' business cards — at jinxnavigator.com under Issue #24.

[6:36] The Candy King — Stuart James The Mirror Skill principle adapted for a children's show, using candy kisses in red and white wrappers instead of playing cards. The prediction of who wins and by how many is revealed on the inside of the paper bag — or a cardboard crown, if you prefer.

[7:49] A Mental Test Revamped — Herbert Hood A refinement of Annemann's torn-newspaper billet method from Issue #6, moved to a deck of cards. The helper merely thinks of a card, writes it on a slip, the slip is torn and burned — and the correct card is produced. No impressions, no switches, no gimmicked paper.

[8:47] The Reticent Queen — Newton Hall A helper writes a deceased person's name on a card. The Queen of Hearts is supposed to relay it — but keeps failing, needing privacy, needing the helper to place the card herself — until finally the name comes through. The earlier failures are covering the glimpse. Jay's note: please come up with a presentation other than "who's your favorite dead person?"

[10:11] Climax — Henry Christ A helper thinks of a card from a fanned deck — convinced they saw the whole spread, they actually only saw one card. That card is forced on a second helper across the room who stops a riffle at random. The two match. Annemann calls it startling in front of a decent-sized audience.

[11:28] Outro Links and a preview of Issue #25 — featuring Lorne de Blois's 21st Century Silks.

Issue #23 delivers calendar math, a complete pocket act built around a pencil, a 25-minute mentalism program assembled from earlier Jinx effects, an odd-backed card that keeps switching decks without anyone claiming to do a trick, and a touch-based divination that's been sitting in Annemann's notebook since 1928 with no author attached.

Effects Covered

[1:13] Editorial — Theodore Annemann Annemann sketches a complete impromptu pocket act built around a single pencil, goes after a dealer whose second encyclopedia is more up to date in its plagiarism than the first, and closes with a verdict on collaborative magic shows: doomed by ego.

[3:18] Calendar Conjuring — Tom Sellers Three effects built on the fixed mathematical relationships in a calendar grid — name four dates from the total, work out nine from the highest and lowest, derive three from a row total. Annemann suggests stringing them into a complete routine and closing with a torn and restored page.

[4:28] A Mental Club Act — Theodore Annemann A complete 25-minute mentalism program built from seven previously published Jinx effects, all pocketable except a small slate, sequenced for clubs, lodges, and banquets.

[5:49] What the H — Vincent Lynch Not a trick — a piece of business where an odd-backed Ace of Spades keeps switching between two decks, presented as a puzzling personal observation rather than a formal effect. Lynch argues the lack of a trick frame makes it land harder.

[6:51] Dr. Daley's Death Divination — Dr. Jacob Daley A living-and-dead test with flash paper, aimed at convincing a genuine skeptic. Jay suggests flipping the premise so the living names burn and the dead one survives — proof they live on in memory.

[8:19] The Touch That Tells — Unknown The performer touches cards in a 4x4 grid while a helper plays cards from behind their back one at a time — and at the exact moment the helper plays their last, the performer's finger lands on a card whose value matches the number secretly pocketed. Annemann has had this since 1928 with no idea who originated it.

[9:28] Last Minute News — Theodore Annemann Two losses in the magic community, a new club forming in Syracuse, and a dry observation that Harry Blackstone's weekly exposure column is careful never to expose anything from Blackstone's own act.

[10:23] Outro Links and a preview of Issue #24 — featuring Stuart James's Mirror Skill, one of Jay's personal favorites.

Issue #22 opens fresh from the IBM convention, where a Toledo burglar declined the key to the city on professional grounds and proceeded to pick everyone's locks anyway. Annemann makes a career-defining argument about signature effects, surfaces a federal model for stopping piracy, and delivers a number total that spells the helper's name, a joker that keeps returning, and a coin routine where the half dollar quietly becomes loose change.

Effects Covered

[1:12] Editorial — Theodore Annemann One good trick can make a career, and it's almost never a new one — Annemann runs through a list of working performers each built on a single signature effect found in older literature. Also: attorney Jacob Steisel's account of stopping piracy by going directly to the U.S. Attorney's Office, and Bob Geisel of Toledo picking his way through every locked and bolted door at the convention. Max Holden hadn't laughed that hard in ten years.

[3:59] Numero — Al Baker A helper's rows of freely written figures produce a total that matches a prediction — then the digits of that total, run through an alphabet chart on the back of the slate, spell out the helper's own name.

[5:19] Business Cards and Notes of the Notables — Theodore Annemann Period business cards and newspaper clippings from the era — both at jinxnavigator.com under Issue #22.

[5:32] A Question of Power — Dr. L. Vosberg Lyons A joker shown at the top of the deck gets replaced by each of three chosen cards in turn when the deck is snapped — and at the end, turns back into the joker one final time. Three repetitions that actually earn it.

[6:46] The Card Phenomenon — Oddly Walsh A helper secretly counts cards, pockets some, notes a card, and returns the rest — the performer never knows the card or the count, yet the helper spells out their card and lands on it exactly. Walsh notes the performer's genuine ignorance is what fools people who think they've spotted the method.

[8:06] Here's Your Change? — Lou Brent A borrowed half dollar travels hand to hand — until the final transfer produces three nickels and a quarter instead. The missing dime turns up behind the knee. Brent's observation: a casual coin sequence as byplay before the main routine often impresses more than the main trick.

[9:22] Outro Links and a preview of Issue #23 — featuring Dr. Jacob Daley's Death Divination.

Jinx Navigator Podcast — Episode 21: Issue #21

Issue #21 opens with an obituary for a coin legend, scatters into a long stream of trivia and dispatches including a notable visitor list that ends with Mike the Educated Rooster, and then delivers a two-phase ace routine, a triple prediction, a clamp-coded denomination divination, and a name that appears to sew itself onto a handkerchief in colored thread. The Think It Over column returns with more items than usual and a quote about knowing five tricks worth repeating.

Effects Covered

[0:58] Editorial and Trivia — Theodore Annemann Annemann opens with an obituary for Henry Welsh Miller, a coin manipulation legend whose foreign reputation was extraordinary and whose palms and sleights at 72 still few could duplicate. The editorial scatters into dispatches: David Embry's system of one-page briefs for each routine — effect, requirements, working instructions — which Jay notes sounds like exactly what a certain performer management app is for. Howard Thurston has died, Jane Thurston will take control of the show, and Harlan Tarbell is simultaneously receiving congratulatory letters from SAM assemblies and facing preferred charges from the SAM for the same Woolworth cutout material. The month's visitor list to Jinx headquarters includes Dai Vernon, Al Baker, Dr. Jacob Daley, and Mike the Educated Rooster.

[3:21] Notes of the Notables — Theodore Annemann Newspaper clippings from the era — head to jinxnavigator.com to see what was making news in the magic world.

[3:30] The Oddly Walsh Coincidence — Oddly Walsh A two-phase routine for table work. Four people freely pull cards partway out of a borrowed shuffled deck, the fan is closed, and the four protruding cards are apparently shifted to the bottom — where they turn out to be the four aces. In phase two, each ace is inserted at a different spot, the deck is shuffled, and four hands of poker are dealt — all four aces come out together. Two separate surprises from a single clean setup, with Walsh's note that making the free nature of the selection explicit at the start keeps the first revelation completely unexpected.

[4:36] Prophecy Plus — Dr. L. Vosberg Lyons Two predictions sealed in envelopes and pocketed by helpers before anything happens — a handkerchief freely chosen from three colored options, a candle loaded blind into a sealed metal tube from a cloth bag. Both predictions are correct, the tube opens and drops the matching candle. The method uses a change bag for the silk and a weighted tube identifiable by feel, with the candle prediction written last after the tube has already been read. Everything flows in a natural sequence with no awkward pauses.

[5:38] Triple Coercion — Theodore Annemann A sealed envelope sits in plain view from start to finish. Three helpers contribute a color, a thought-of playing card, and a freely named number — and the prediction inside the envelope correctly names all three. Annemann notes that audiences consistently go away believing all three items were merely thought of and the envelope was never touched. Jay declines to go over the method but notes that many listeners will already know where he was heading. This one sounds like the kind of thing that gets people talking.

[6:45] Money Mentalism — Charles Rosenthal A two-person piece where the psychic names the denomination of a coin or bill sealed inside an ordinary envelope — the code entirely in the position of a spring clamp attached to the envelope, giving eight distinct positions for the eight most common denominations. Annemann adds a note for an extension: the psychic leaves again, the coin is switched for a duplicate, and on the return, the date is also named. Jay's practical addition: make all your duplicate coins from the same year and your psychic has one less thing to

Jinx Navigator Podcast — Episode 20: Issue #20

Issue #20 arrives with a dedication: no card tricks whatsoever. Annemann is busy going after plagiarists, weighing in on the SAM's long-awaited exposure charges against Harlan Tarbell, and delivering a column of performance advice that holds up just as well today as it did in 1936. The effects include a dollar-and-five transposition that works itself, a free-choice coin through a handkerchief, a ten-cent substitute for a three-dollar switching tray, and an effect Annemann had been sitting on for years and finally decided to just give away.

Effects Covered

[0:55] Editorial — Theodore Annemann The SAM has finally charged a member for exposure — Harlan Tarbell, whose cut-out illusions have been turning up in five-and-dime stores. Annemann finds Tarbell's educator defense meaningless when the wrong people are being educated. He also surfaces a quick double-turnover mystery using a new deck's scorecard, calls out Glenn Gravitt's encyclopedia for lifting over 20% of its contents from Jordan and Annemann without credit, and serves a 60-day warning to a separate anonymous publisher running the same material in five separately bound parts. He closes by noting that Issue #20 has a dedication: it contains no card tricks whatsoever.

[2:51] Think It Over — Theodore Annemann Annemann's recurring column of short practical performance observations. Highlights include: use aces for card work with a distance audience — sevens through tens are invisible past the front rows; a white wand against a black suit gives better contrast than the traditional black one; showing off card flourishes before a trick actually drops the mystery level; always end on stage with nothing to return after the final effect; and handle a fake egg like a real one — carefully, as if it might break. Jay adds his own note: if you're doing Out of This World with a full deck, stop it. Nobody has that kind of time.

[4:48] March of Events A page of newspaper clippings from the era — worth a look at jinxnavigator.com.

[4:54] Inflation — Monte Crow A dollar is laid on top of a five and both are rolled slowly together while the performer talks about inflation. Near the end of the roll, the helper puts a finger on the dollar to prevent trickery — and when the bills are unrolled, the five is now on top. The switch happens automatically during the rolling process through a physical moment built into the geometry of the two bills. Jay's verdict: perfect EDC, as long as you have six dollars in your pocket.

[6:00] Silver or Copper — Conrad Bush A half dollar and a penny are placed on a borrowed handkerchief draped over the palm, the hand turns over, the cloth is twisted around both coins, and the helper names which one they want — which is then pulled right through the fabric. A secret release during the turnover positions one coin behind the other, making either choice workable. There's also a more visual handling for confident coin workers where the coin briefly travels through the air masked by the handkerchief. Annemann's editor's note suggests substituting a Green River souvenir coin for the penny.

[7:07] Letter at Hand and Acted Upon — Bruce Elliott A reader letter printed in full: Elliott's ten-cent substitute for the three-dollar card-switching tray. Glue the cover of one magazine to the back of another — a double-sided magazine looks completely natural and nobody suspects it. His refinement is to use the back advertising page rather than the front cover, since the same ad tends to run for several weeks, making a duplicate easy to find. Elliott notes the idea arrived during a combination of writer's block and whiskey. Annemann prints it without comment, which is its own kind of endorsement.

[7:54] From Beyond the Grave — Theodore Annemann An eff

Jinx Navigator Podcast — Episode 19: Issue #19

Issue #19 finds Annemann 14 weeks into his nightclub tour, mid-dispute with Frank Lane, and with strong opinions about dealers writing in the margins of subscribers' copies. The effects this issue include a rapid calculation piece that fools people who already know the original, a thought-of card found without a single question asked, a behind-the-back stop trick dressed up as muscle reading, and Annemann's most personal contribution to the Jinx so far — a billet routine 15 years in the making.

Effects Covered

[0:55] Editorial — Theodore Annemann Annemann opens with a genuine question to readers about whether sponsored free floor shows undercut working magicians, then surfaces a practical flash paper idea for the living-and-dead test — four slips vanish instantly, one survives — that Jay admits is actually kind of cool even if the theme isn't. The Frank Lane dispute from Issue #18 reaches its conclusion when Annemann produces the citation proving he credited Stanyan back in 1934, and closes the matter. He also describes a stacked deck used as a secret message carrier, a soft-pencil locator card that catches the eye only when the deck is fanned, and addresses dealers who have been writing comments in the margins of subscribers' copies — with a promise of replacement issues for anyone affected.

[3:43] The Addition of the Age — Charles Nagel A 25-square grid, five two-digit numbers from the helper, five more from the performer, and a diagonal row filled in by the helper with whatever numbers they choose — and the performer's total, written before anyone has added anything up, is correct. The method involves a complementary relationship between the two columns of numbers that locks the arithmetic in place regardless of what goes in the diagonal. Annemann notes the filling of the squares can be varied each time so it never looks the same twice.

[5:01] Letters to the Jinx / Business Card Pictures — Theodore Annemann A selection of reader letters and a page of period business cards from magicians of the era — both worth a look at jinxnavigator.com.

[5:10] The Scarny Thought Card — John Scarny The deck is riffled vertically so the cards flash by, the helper simply thinks of one they see, cuts the deck themselves, and deals face down while counting silently to their card's number — and the card at that position is the one they thought of. No questions, no elimination, no obvious force. Scarny notes that with practice the riffle can be timed so the cards of interest pass clearly while the rest flash by too quickly to register.

[6:13] Another Stop — Paul Curry The deck goes behind the performer's back, a helper calls stop during a riffle, notes the card, then shuffles the deck — and the performer names it. Curry's preferred presentation frames it as muscle reading, slowly approaching the correct card in a face-up spread while appearing to read the helper's reactions. The method uses a short card and a small setup that can be put in place in seconds, and the muscle reading frame keeps the method invisible even to people who know card work.

[7:11] A Version of the Al Baker Three-Billet Trick — Theodore Annemann Annemann's most personal contribution to the Jinx so far — a routine tracing back to Al Baker's original, through Annemann's 1924 acquisition of the method, his 1929 development of billet switches allowing slips to be returned after reading, and a significant discovery about shuffling a stacked deck without destroying its usefulness. Three helpers each select or think of a card through three different procedures, three slips are written and collected, and the performer reveals all three one at a time — saving the most impossible for last: the card that was only thought of, never written, until after the revelation had

Jinx Navigator Podcast — Episode 18: Issue #18

Issue #18 finds Annemann fresh off nine weeks touring 117 nightclubs, mid-argument with a Boston magician who called him a cock-eyed liar, and with enough opinions about magic publishing ethics to fill half an editorial. The issue also delivers the Jinx's first collected improvements column, a pantomime cigarette production, a card spelling effect built around the performer's own name, and a press piece involving a named dead person that Jay is pretty sure would still get into a newspaper.

Effects Covered

[0:49] Editorial — Theodore Annemann Annemann opens in the middle of a dispute with Frank Lane over the origin of a billet card effect — Lane called him a cock-eyed liar, Annemann offers him a dozen life subscriptions if he can prove he's wrong, and notices Lane is now wearing a question mark ring just like the one he admired on Annemann's hand. The bulk of the editorial covers nine weeks on the road with the Green River Review, including a week at Grand Central Palace where the show was recorded with applause gaps that audiences declined to fill on cue. He closes with a sharp statement on publishing ethics: any magazine that takes advertising money from dealers known to copy, fail to deliver, or ship shoddy merchandise is doing its readers a disservice. He uses the word "pediculous" and helpfully defines it: lousy.

[3:14] The Miracle Speller — Vincent Dalban A helper silently spells their own name, dealing one card per letter, and notes the card that falls on the last letter. The performer — without knowing the helper's name or the card — spells out his own name and turns over the last card: it's the chosen one. The method uses a single gimmicked card and a name chosen in advance that's one letter shorter than the performer's own, and that relationship locks everything in place regardless of how long the helper's name turns out to be.

[4:20] The Phantom Cigarette — Lou Brent Pure pantomime: the performer mimes taking out a cigarette case, removing a cigarette, tapping it, tucking it between the lips, then reaching for a match — and when both hands come away from the lighting action, there's a lit cigarette actually in his mouth. The cigarette has been hidden and pre-lit in a small holder under the coat, with the steal covered by the match-lighting move. Annemann adds his own note on the retrieval sequence, describing a slightly different handling he's found more reliable in practice.

[5:32] Improvements — Theodore Annemann The Jinx's first collected improvements column — reader-submitted refinements to effects going back to Issue #1, tested and selected by Annemann. Highlights include: the Supreme East Indian needle trick gets a cleaner load with no faked spool needed; the lemon and the dollar gets upgraded to three different fruits so the performer can identify at a glance which bill is out; the divination with matches gets loosened so a mostly-full borrowed matchbook works; and 20th Century Cards gets a full apparatus upgrade with a small display stand and nickeled rod so the ribbon production plays to the whole room.

[6:56] Thoughts in General — Theodore Annemann Annemann's notebook column returns with practical ideas rather than polished routines, owing to four shows a night on tour. The card-on-ceiling effect gets a thorough treatment — wool co-paste from Woolworth's in a small tin, last-minute dovetail shuffle, and the specific rotary spin when throwing the deck that makes the effect reliable rather than hit or miss. Other items: make tube apparatus from square cardboard so it folds flat for a suitcase, learn lip reading for close-up work, and perform card tricks with three specific cards removed from the deck so that if a helper names any of those three, it can be produced from the pocket.

Jinx Navigator Podcast — Episode 17: Issue #17

Issue #17 opens with a sharp warning about cameras and sleight of hand, delivers a blindfolded cigarette identification built on a coat dropper, a deceptively clean two-card prediction with a Magician's Choice structure, and closes with a historical essay on the torn deck from the SAM's national president. The Burling Hull situation also resurfaces — this time with attorneys and Post Office complaints.

Effects Covered

[1:00] Editorial — Theodore Annemann Annemann leads with a warning: don't do sleight of hand in front of cameras. Two performers he respects were recently caught on film, and his point is that a lens that can catch a bullet in flight isn't going to miss a sleight. Jay's commentary: please, nobody tell him about YouTube. The editorial also covers U.F. Grant's new photo-electrical effect, a genuinely positive update on Percy Abbott's The Tops, a pointed dismissal of an anonymous free publication called The Links, and a reluctant apology for the delayed winter extra — Annemann had spent the holiday stretch doing four shows a night on a nightclub tour while simultaneously editing the Jinx.

[3:03] Cigarettes in the Dark — Theodore Annemann Blindfolded, the performer reaches into a hat of mixed cigarettes, lights one, takes a puff, and names the brand — three times in a row, three correct. The blindfold is genuine; the cigarettes aren't coming from the hat. The coat dropper Fischer described a couple of issues back is loaded in advance with three brands in a known order, and the reach toward the hat covers the actual retrieval each time. Jay suggests a modern variant using coins and a bowl that works the same angle without requiring anyone to light up.

[4:38] The Spectator's Choice — Stuart Judah Six piles of cards, two freely chosen cards added to any two piles, a dealing procedure that ends with exactly those two cards — whichever of two apparently independent predictions the helper decides to keep. Judah admits it didn't look like much on paper and he nearly set it aside, then saw it performed. The Magician's Choice structure is particularly clean here because both slips look like independent predictions and the helper genuinely doesn't know until the end which two cards they'll be holding.

[5:53] To Our Associated Dealers — Burling Hull Another chapter in the ongoing saga: a letter Hull sent directly to magic dealers, printed in full, addressing attacks in the anonymous publication Annemann had been calling The Stinks. Hull's attorney has characterized the attacks as a perfect case of libel by innuendo, a lawsuit is proceeding, and Hull is filing with the Post Office to have the publication's mailing privileges revoked. The practical point to dealers is that distributing defamatory material through the mail could make them liable alongside the publisher. Annemann prints the whole thing without editorial comment.

[6:56] Finger Exercise — Otis Manning A thimble routine framed as a demonstration of finger dexterity — one red thimble and one blue, appearing to jump positions and then swap simultaneously, closing with a helper invited to try it themselves. No vanishes, just a series of apparent transpositions using the simplest thimble steal. Annemann's note: he can't do many sleights himself, but this one he can manage. Manning's closing advice — never mention you're using two thimbles, and learn when to talk and when not to.

[8:10] A Novel Glass Through Hat — Alvin C. Thompson A drinking glass with a red silk inside, covered with paper, passes through the crown of a borrowed hat and appears inside it. The key is a moment early in the routine where the paper-covered glass is briefly placed inside the hat on an apparently incidental pr

Jinx Navigator Podcast — Episode 16: Issue #16

Issue #16 rings in 1936 with Annemann reporting from a turbulent SAM club night, closing the Burling Hull matter with two words, and delivering a book test built on a pocket index, a magic square from a birthday, a comedy coin-to-candy-cone switch, and a thought-of card transposition that Annemann couldn't crack until Dr. Jacob Daly figured out the core method in about five minutes of conversation.

Effects Covered

[0:58] Editorial — Theodore Annemann Annemann skips the standard SAM club night recap in favor of what other reporters missed — including Cardini spending the final three minutes of a magnificent eleven-minute act doing a deliberate expose of a rubber band trick, which Annemann says ruined everything that came before it. He closes the Burling Hull dispute with a two-word response: "I apologize." He also welcomes Percy Abbott's new monthly publication The Tops with measured skepticism — though Jay notes from the future that it ran for 21 years, relaunched, and ran another 33.

[3:05] A Visible Cigarette Vanisher — Lou Brent A cigarette holder of the kind actual smokers carried in the 1930s is shown openly with the cigarette seated inside — then both vanish. The prop never registered as apparatus because it looked like an ordinary accessory, which Annemann notes is exactly how magic props should look. He adds a practical tip: adhesive tape inside the holder keeps the cigarette firmly seated during the vanish. Jay suggests the principle adapts naturally to vaping, with an obvious presentational angle ready-made.

[4:15] Again, a Prediction — Doc Mifflin A card is freely chosen from a mixed deck, the helper opens a small book of poems to the matching page number, finds the word at that same position, and the prediction already in the cup matches it exactly. The method requires thirteen outs and a pocket index — and Jay points out that if you have a pocket index collecting dust and never knew what to do with it, this is the answer.

[4:59] The Lucky Number Magic Square — Royal V. Heath A helper names their birth date, the performer writes it above a blank 3x3 grid, the helper makes two apparently free choices along the way, and the completed grid is a magic square — every row, column, and diagonal adding up to the same total. That total reduces to the helper's personal lucky number, the whole thing fits on the back of a business card, and Jay notes in the comments at jinxnavigator.com there's a free crash course on numerology readings to pair with it.

[6:10] Burr — Otis Manning A borrowed nickel vanishes under a handkerchief and reappears as a candy ice cream cone, handed to the helper as an even trade. The cone was a one-cent candy counter item in 1936 that passed for the real thing at three feet, and Annemann notes the second laugh when the helper realizes it's candy is just as good as the first. Jay acknowledges his earlier snarkiness about nightclubs and handkerchiefs and admits the effect has genuine promise — and suggests there are plenty of modern substitutes for the candy cone worth exploring.

[7:27] The Acme Thought Card Pass — Dr. Jacob Daly and Theodore Annemann Two people each silently think of a card from a packet held in the audience — both packets are sealed in envelopes, one pocketed by a helper, one kept by the performer. The thought-of cards travel invisibly: the helper's envelope comes up two short, the performer's has two extra, and both named cards are right there. Annemann had been trying to crack this with unprepared cards for a long time; Daly solved the core method almost immediately when the subject came up in conversation, with the preparation built entirely into an ordinary stack of envelopes.

[8:46] Outro Links

Jinx Navigator Podcast — Episode 15: Issue #15

Issue #15 is a compact but well-stocked issue — a three-way out envelope used for real election-night publicity, a self-working spelling effect updated for American audiences, a coat-mounted ball retriever that takes Jay on a nostalgic tour of his heavily rigged performing jackets, and a parlor effect that Annemann calls the best drawing-room conception he knows. The editorial is sharp, covering glowing promotional eyes, a handwriting expert working a crystal ball act, and Annemann's blunt thoughts on how the magic community handles exposers.

Effects Covered

[0:52] Editorial — Theodore Annemann Annemann opens with a photo of Otis Manning landing a three-column front-page picture — full details promised next issue. He covers a lobby display trick using luminous paint on a promotional photo, a crystal ball act secretly backed by a handwriting expert sending personalized notes about audience members, and a practical tip about writing predictions on your own business card so people keep them. He closes with a pointed editorial on magic exposers — formal expulsion doesn't work, he argues, and watching the community immediately surround a known exposer asking to see his latest stuff proves it.

[3:42] An Original Faked Envelope with a Publicity Angle — Theodore Annemann A three-compartment envelope that opens to a different compartment depending on which end is trimmed — content simply falls into the helper's palm, no fumbling required. Annemann describes using it during a local election: writing a prediction, having a newspaper editor sign it, apparently having second thoughts and sealing a new envelope, then returning after the results came in to verify it — leaving the clean original on the table and pocketing the faked one. Clean entry, clean exit.

[5:21] A Different Card Spelling — George C. Hannemann A refinement of a spelling effect from Gibson's Houdini's Magic, updated for American audiences who don't call Jacks "knaves" or 2s "duces." A helper spells out their card's suit and lands on a matching suit, then spells the value and lands on a matching value — two separate arrivals, both exactly on cue, with no sleight of hand. Nineteen cards in a specific order near the middle of the deck, and the trick essentially runs itself. Hannemann also offers a handling that avoids a force entirely.

[6:42] An Original Ball Dropper — Otakar Fischer A coat-mounted device that delivers a palmed ball with nothing more than a slight lowering of the arm and two fingers of gentle pressure — gravity does the rest. Fischer's key note is that the hand stays completely still throughout, and the dropper lies flat against the body once empty. Jay takes a nostalgic detour through his performing jackets of 40-some years ago, which apparently housed doves, pinned cards, a vanishing candle, and a giant card against the breast pocket simultaneously.

[7:57] Diabolical Influence — Harris Solomon The performer writes a prediction, covers it with an initialed sticker, and leaves the room — from outside, he directs a series of apparently free choices: a card at a counted position, a named card, three random numbers. He returns, peels the sticker, and the prediction matches the card at the counted position. Two more cards match the other selections. The three numbers add up to the sum written under the sticker. The pocketed card is named, the deck shown complete. Annemann calls it the best parlor and drawing-room conception he knows, and Jay says he's going to try this one.

[9:31] Outro Links and a preview of Issue #16 — featuring Doc Mifflin's "Again, a Prediction."

Jinx Navigator Podcast — Episode 14: Issue #14 Issue #14 is a busy one — Annemann makes the case for learning fortune telling, prints a point-by-point rebuttal from a critic in full, and delivers a card on a window, a coin transposition for platform use, and the two-person mentalism piece he's been using in real-world conditions. There's also a dime passing through a handkerchief, which Jay notes would be perfect EDC material if anyone still carried handkerchiefs.

Effects Covered [1:00] Editorial — Theodore Annemann Annemann opens with a practical case for learning fortune telling — nothing takes over a party faster, he says, and card layouts do most of the work once you know the meanings. He also addresses magic exposés in Popeye cartoons, touches briefly on the ongoing Burling Hull dispute, and closes with an elaborate fantasy publicity campaign involving a coffin, a jailbreak, a department store climb, a bullet catch, and a live burial — described in gleeful detail. Jay endorses the fortune telling advice and points to his own numerology site as a companion resource.

[3:20] The Burling Hull Letter Battle — Burling Hull / Theodore Annemann A departure from the usual format: Annemann prints a full letter from Burling Hull responding to criticism directed at Hull's publication Stage Magic. Hull defends his publication history point by point, cites over 1,200 testimonials, and closes with a pointed shot at Annemann's own book — noting it nearly didn't appear at all and only made it to print through a dealer's intervention. Annemann prints it in full, as promised, which says something about how he ran the Jinx.

[4:43] Images of Business Cards — Theodore Annemann A full page of magicians' business cards from the era — not something that translates to audio, but worth a look at jinxnavigator.com.

[4:51] A Card in Flight — Bobby Hummer A helper notes a card, the deck goes into a borrowed hat, and the performer appears to remove the spots one by one — flicking them away. The card vanishes from the deck entirely, and when a window curtain is raised, the card is on the outside of the glass looking in. The vanish uses small pieces of black paper and a move inside the hat that happens in plain sight without anyone registering it. The card on the window is a duplicate, planted during an earlier visit that same day.

[5:55] Coins En Route — Otakar Fischer Ten coins on a helper's palm under a handkerchief, ten more in a second helper's cupped hands — the first helper shakes the handkerchief a chosen number of times, and that many coins travel invisibly between them. Fischer's contribution is a quiet steal built into the initial counting action, looking purely functional. Diachylon plaster is called for in the original; Jay recommends magician's wax and notes this may be the first coin version of a traveling-coins effect he's encountered.

[7:05] A Cute and Quick Location — Theodore Annemann Four cards dealt face down, the helper touches one, and its value tells the performer exactly how far down in the deck to count for the selected card. Four specific cards in a particular order near the top of the deck — that's the entire setup. Annemann discovered it while noodling around rather than setting out to invent anything, which gives it the feel of something that slots naturally into a casual impromptu session.

[7:52] Metal vs. Fabric — Fred Demuth A dime and a penny are placed on a handkerchief, the cloth is twisted tight around them, and the dime is pulled slowly through the fabric — leaving only the penny behind. The method uses a classic coin set that many performers already own, with Demuth offering a new application that makes the penetration visible and direct. Jay notes that pennies are still around even if handkerchiefs aren't, and recommends giving it a shot. </

Jinx Navigator Podcast — Episode 13: Issue #13

Issue #13 arrives with two black cats overhead and Annemann unbothered — he notes the cat should be the worried one. The issue delivers practical stagecraft from a Viennese theater veteran, a publicity stunt involving a postage stamp and a ceiling, a newspaper prediction with mentalism flair, and a self-working eight-ace routine that Manning insists should be performed as one unbroken sequence.

Effects Covered

[0:56] Editorial — Theodore Annemann Annemann opens with a genuine pet theory: magicians do too many things in threes, and the third repetition risks nullifying the mystery entirely. Jay pushes back slightly — he's fine with threes, but argues that if you repeat something, at least vary what the audience perceives. The editorial also covers a bird cage update tracing Robert Heller's version, a recommendation for U.F. Grant's one-way deck booklet, a cigarette vanish by Calvert Cole that fooled Annemann completely, and Andrew Brennan's follow-up to last issue's shrinking dollar — which ends with a large souvenir penny and the punchline that the secret of 59 cents is that they have bigger cents.

[4:21] An Original Tie for Loads — Otakar Fischer A practical stagecraft solution from a man who spent 12 consecutive years performing two-hour shows at a magical theater in Vienna. The device is a simple endless loop of cord with a ring and a dress hook — a load secured diagonally releases instantly with a single upward motion of the hook, and the heavier the load, the more securely it holds until needed. Twelve years of professional use is about as good a recommendation as it gets.

[5:17] Higher Magic — Theodore Annemann A wet postage stamp pressed to a half dollar and thrown at the ceiling with a particular motion — the coin comes back down, the stamp stays up. Annemann's best version involves a card name written in ink on the back of the stamp, placed on a hotel ceiling during one visit and confirmed by forcing that card on a return visit. Practical notes: use ink not pencil, small stamps work best, and for a walking advertisement, have gummed stickers printed with your name instead.

[6:35] The Super Slates — Anonymous A two-slate effect where both slates are openly numbered on all four sides before anything happens — and when opened, there's chalk writing on the inside of each one. The method involves a precisely timed sequence of flap handling woven around the numbering procedure. Jay's honest take: lay audiences probably aren't going home wondering why only one slate had writing on it, but if you want to fool the folks at the next magic club meeting, this will do it.

[7:51] Cards and a Newspaper — Arthur Johnson A helper shuffles and cuts a deck into four piles, cards are moved between them, and the top card of each pile turns up a page number, column, line, and word — which matches a prediction written before anything began. The underlying card principle is one magicians will recognize from the classic four-aces location, but Johnson's repurposing of it as a newspaper prediction shifts the feel entirely toward mentalism. Jay notes it would work just as cleanly as a book test with a small adjustment to the presentation.

[8:58] Aces of Eight — Otis Manning Eight aces — two from each suit — are mixed and cut by a helper, and the performer produces them from behind his back in a sequence of escalating phases: matching suits, then matching colors, then a spelling sequence, then finally both hands emerge with reds in one and blacks in the other. No conventional sleight of hand — the work happens behind the back through arrangement and one simple repeated move. Manning's instruction is to learn it smoothly and perform the whole thing as one continuous unbroken effect.

[10:04

Jinx Navigator Podcast — Episode 12: Issue #12

Issue #12 is an all-Annemann affair — editorial, notebook column, a stacked-deck solitaire hustle, and a stage four-aces routine built for maximum fairness. He's also bottle-feeding a puppy, which explains a few things about the issue's more notebook-jottings character.

Effects Covered

[0:48] Editorial — Theodore Annemann Annemann blames August heat and an eight-day-old bird dog for a lighter-than-usual issue, then pivots to a genuinely frustrated observation about magicians who ignore published effects until someone else does something brilliant with them — at which point the whole community suddenly discovers it's great. He closes with a word about the late dealer Sam Bailey and goes to feed his puppy.

[2:22] Thoughts in General — Theodore Annemann Annemann's occasional miscellany column covers a card puzzle involving 25 cards and five poker hands, a betting proposition hidden in a fanned shuffled deck, an improved handling of the Seven Keys to Baldpate built with Robert Thrasher, a shrinking dollar bill stunt with Roosevelt-era patter, a canary-in-a-lightbulb variation using water, and a pointed note to anyone still using cop-and-robber patter in 1935. He also digs into the history of the vanishing bird cage and cards from the pockets, and closes with a practical angle for secretly loading an object into a helper's pocket using a card trick as cover. Jay notes that put-pocketing, it turns out, is not a new idea.

[5:03] The Solitaire King — Theodore Annemann Annemann discovered that the Eight Kings stack, applied to the solitaire game Canfield, produces a win nearly every time — and built a presentation around it for card parties. After a few card tricks, you offer to demonstrate how you can always win at solitaire, false shuffle the stacked deck, lay out the game, and it plays itself to a win with one decision point in the middle. Annemann is modest about it: he didn't invent either piece, he just noticed they fit together.

[6:06] Four Aces on the Stage — Theodore Annemann A classic close-up effect gets a full platform treatment. Four volunteers each find an ace themselves, cover it with three cards, and one packet is chosen at random — the rest go back into the deck, which gets shuffled, rubber-banded, and tossed into the audience for someone to search. No aces anywhere. The chosen volunteer spreads their cards: all four aces. The method uses a short-card deck and three extra aces, with the key moves happening precisely when every eye in the room is on the volunteers or the audience member searching the deck. Jay — confirmed non-card-guy — says this one sounds genuinely fun to both perform and watch.

[7:37] Outro Links and a preview of Issue #13 — featuring Arthur Lloyd Johnson's Cards and Newspaper.

Jinx Navigator Podcast — Episode 11: Issue #11 Issue #11 is a card-heavy issue with a few pleasant surprises — a clever cigarette gag, a matchbook divination that requires nothing more than a book of matches and one quick calculation, and a borrowed business card that survives being cut in half. Annemann's editorial is in a reflective mood, anchored by a story about a fireman with an excellent memory for shoes.

Effects Covered [0:56] Editorial — Theodore Annemann Annemann opens with a summer complaint about slow mail, recommends a Liberty magazine article on university telepathy experiments, and highlights a magic newsletter disguised as a hometown newspaper. The centerpiece is a story about a fireman who remembered a substitution act from 20 years earlier in perfect detail — including the performer's shoes changing mid-routine — which Annemann uses to make the point that audiences are paying closer attention than performers tend to assume. [3:45] A Cigarette Rolled by Proxy — Orville Meyer Tobacco and rolling paper go into the mouth, a few chewing motions later, out comes a perfectly rolled cigarette. Meyer's version uses a rubber novelty cigarette and a well-timed switch, and produces a clean result every time — unlike earlier marketed versions that often left the cigarette looking the worse for wear. For close-up situations, Meyer suggests substituting ground coffee for the tobacco, signing off with a cheerful "after all, it's for the sake of art." [5:40] The Fan Location — El Rey A card technique rather than a complete effect — a method for secretly marking a selected card the moment it's returned to a fanned deck, using nothing but a finger's sense of touch and a tiny crimp. The right hand stays completely clear throughout, the helper can even be invited to reposition their card, and the deck ends up shuffled by the helper with the performer's hands nowhere near it at the crucial moment. Jay — self-described non-card-guy — tried it this morning and reports it works as written. [7:17] A Trick with the Fan Location — Theodore Annemann Annemann's own application of El Rey's technique, built around a neat reversal of standard card trick logic: the helper chooses their card from a face-up spread, returns it, shuffles the deck, and the performer finds it face-down. The presentation hook — chosen face up, found face down — gives the effect a tidy internal logic that, as Annemann notes, tends to stick in people's minds long after the show. [8:26] A Card to Be Thought About — Theodore Annemann A helper mentally selects one of three freely chosen cards, the deck is mixed, and the performer produces — incorrectly, then incorrectly again — before ultimately finding the card in the most dramatic way possible: from his pocket. The method is structured so that the pocket production is the most likely outcome, and the apparent failures along the way make the ending land harder whenever it arrives. [9:48] A Divination with Matches — Fred Demuth A helper secretly pockets some matches, tears out more to represent the count remaining, then holds an unknown number in their fist — and the performer names exactly how many without asking a single question. The secret is a fixed mathematical principle built into the standard 20-match booklet that always produces the same result regardless of the choices made, leaving the performer with just one quick calculation. Adapted from an older card effect, the matchbook setting gives it a pleasantly casual, impromptu feel. [11:15] The Card Unharmed — Theodore Annemann A borrowed business card is sealed in an envelope, both ends are cut off, the card is slid back through so both ends are visibly sticking out, and then the scissors cut straight across the middle — yet the card comes out completely unharmed. Annemann has been using this as a press piece for years, preparing batches of envelopes in a

Jinx Navigator Podcast — Episode 10: Issue #10

Issue #10 of The Jinx opens with Annemann on his soapbox about impromptu magic — and Jay gets on one of his own — before delivering a signed card on a ribbon, a startling deck production, a masterclass in cigarette vanish presentation, and a one-person picture-duplication effect that Annemann vouches for with characteristic honesty. A strong issue from start to finish.

Effects Covered

[0:52] Editorial — Theodore Annemann Annemann makes the case that working professionals who can't perform on the spot are failing at showmanship, pointing to Harry Blackstone and John Mulholland as performers who built their public reputations largely on impromptu work. Jay weighs in with his own take on the "I'm not a performing monkey" crowd. The editorial also covers news from the New York scene, U.F. Grant's new newsletter The Trickster, and a firm no to advertising in the Jinx — because, as Annemann puts it, he's selling usable information, not ads.

[4:30] 20th Century Cards — Theodore Annemann A helper signs their chosen card and punches a hole in it with a ticket punch, making it unmistakably theirs — then it vanishes from the deck and reappears threaded onto a ribbon between two other cards, everything examinable. The method uses one prepared card and a lead-based adhesive that Annemann called Diachylon, for which Jay suggests magician's wax as a perfectly reasonable modern substitute.

[6:07] Surprise!! — J. G. Thompson Jr. A full deck of cards is produced from nowhere by plunging a bare hand straight through a tambourine — the hand goes in empty, comes out the other side holding a fanned deck, faces out toward the audience. The method centers on a wire gimmick illustrated in the original article, and Jay suggests the gimmick itself is worth studying even if tambourines aren't exactly standard equipment anymore.

[8:02] The Henry E. Dixie Cigarette Vanish — Henry E. Dixie A cigarette is lit, smoked, pushed into a closed fist, and vanishes — performed entirely without words, unhurried, and utterly natural. Annemann's point isn't really the method, which uses a standard piece of apparatus working magicians will recognize immediately — it's that what made this remarkable was Dixie's presentation, and he uses it as a broader argument that performers spend too much time chasing new methods and not enough time on what actually happens in front of an audience.

[10:27] Extra Sensory Perception — Theodore Annemann Thirty-two cards bearing hand-drawn sketches are shuffled and distributed, helpers concentrate on their top card, and the performer reproduces the drawings on a slate from across the room — leaving everything with the audience at the end. Annemann is upfront that Julius Zansig's two-person act was the gold standard for this kind of work, but calls his single-performer version as clean as anything he knows of. Jay has performed this one recently and left notes in the comments at jinxnavigator.com.

Jinx Navigator Podcast — Episode 9: Issue #9

Issue #9 of The Jinx features one of the most widely used envelope techniques in mentalism, a mathematically driven counting effect dressed up in Depression-era politics, and the effect Annemann himself called one of the greatest one-man psychic pieces available — and it's hard to argue with him. The editorial is lively too, with convention news, a rare unprompted book recommendation, and a very satisfying mathematical footnote.

Effects Covered

[0:51] The Modernized Reading — Theodore Annemann A method for secretly reading the contents of a sealed envelope while it's still being held by the person who sealed it — using a prepared envelope, one piece of ordinary office supplies, and a natural-feeling moment of staging that arouses no suspicion. Annemann traces the idea back to 1924 and notes this is the cleanest version he knows. Jay points out it's almost certainly the precursor to Alan Shaxson's famous envelope work, and adds some tips of his own in the comments at jinxnavigator.com.

[2:41] The Renovated Sphinx Card Trick — Eddie Clever Three helpers each initial a freely chosen card, all three go into a hat, and from there the cards travel back and forth between the hat and the deck in ways that shouldn't be possible. Two specially prepared cards do the heavy lifting — one a familiar gimmick many card workers already own, the other a small but clever alteration to a single index. The sleights involved are minimal enough that Jay prefers to call them moves.

[4:08] A Matter of Policy — Theodore Annemann A mathematical counting effect built around a 1935 political joke — twenty oversized cards representing Republican and Democratic employees get counted off every tenth one, and every single Republican ends up out of a job. No sleight of hand, just a very old principle in a topical wrapper. Jay notes the method works regardless of what's on the cards, so the presentation is wide open for updating.

[6:20] Pseudo Psychometry — Theodore Annemann A dozen helpers seal personal objects inside envelopes while the performer's back is turned — and then the performer opens them one by one, sometimes describing the owner in detail, sometimes walking directly into the audience to return the object without asking anyone to identify themselves. The method requires nothing but the envelopes and a system simple enough to hold in your head while performing. Annemann called it one of the greatest one-man psychic effects available, and Jay wholeheartedly agrees.

[8:07] Editorial — Theodore Annemann Annemann reports on a busy convention season and notes the Jinx now has 859 readers as of May 2, 1935. He defends his five-foot shelf list from the volume of argumentative mail it generated, announces a new Jinx Extra — a 16-page special edition twice a year for $1 — and revisits the unauthorized endorsement controversy from Issue #8 now that he's actually bought and examined the trick. He closes with a mathematical curiosity from Royal V. Heath: 84 is the only number between zero and 4,800,000,000 spelled with ten completely different letters — which Annemann notes makes the Jinx's uniqueness official.

[10:19] Outro Links and a preview of Issue #10 — featuring Annemann's Extra Sensory Perception, a mind-reading effect that Jay calls one of his personal favorites.

Jinx Navigator Podcast — Episode 8: Issue #8

Issue #8 of The Jinx is a varied one — a mathematically clever card effect, two contributions from Dr. Duncanson, a borrowed bill in nested envelopes, and Annemann's own opinionated reading list for magicians. The editorial is packed: a victory lap, a moving tribute, and Annemann publicly setting the record straight on not one but two separate grievances.

Effects Covered

[1:07] An Improvement à la Carte — Theodore Annemann A helper names any card, then makes a series of apparently free choices as the deck is dealt and sorted — and somehow lands on the exact card they named at the start. Annemann offers a second, cleaner handling using a written prediction and a face-down borrowed deck. The method involves a stack and Magician's Choice, and Jay is candid about which version he'd actually want to perform.

[3:14] The Astral Shirt Again — Dr. L. E. Duncanson A stage version of the shirt-removal effect from Issue #6, this time with the performer stepping into a small cabinet, wrists genuinely tied by a rope held by helpers on either side. He goes in wearing white, a colored shirt is handed in, and he steps out wearing it. Jay notes that "almost immediately" may have meant something different in 1935 — and proposes an elaborate Zoolander-themed solution that he seems genuinely tempted to perform.

[6:25] Thought Raise — Dr. L. E. Duncanson A helper writes a word, a number, and a drawing on a slate, shows it to the audience, erases everything, and returns to their seat — and the performer reproduces all three exactly. The method involves some household chemicals and a prepared slate, and Annemann cheerfully notes that a mentalist had been selling the same principle for ten dollars, despite it having been published in a book back in 1907.

[8:07] The Jinx Five-Foot Shelf of Magic — Theodore Annemann Annemann's personal reading list for magicians — not trick books, but what he considers genuine textbooks covering every principle a working performer needs. He singles out Stanyan's Magic and Tarbell's Course as essential above all else. Jay notes there's a comment on the site linking to a video about an updated version of the list.

[9:07] Transient Money — E. D. Wolf A borrowed, initialed bill vanishes and reappears inside the smallest of three nested envelopes, each sealed and initialed by a different helper and in plain view the whole time. The method requires a single small prop that fits on your thumb. Jay has some thoughts on tightening the handling — and strongly suggests a flash bill vanish for theatrical effect.

[11:06] Editorial — Theodore Annemann Annemann opens with a tongue-in-cheek celebration of the Jinx running on schedule, complete with an imaginary parade involving flash paper and a fishbowl. He follows with a moving update on John Northern Hilliard's unfinished book, addresses an unauthorized endorsement that used his name without permission, and formally gives everyone blanket permission to steal from the Jinx — on the grounds that readers will figure out where it came from anyway.

[12:27] Outro Links and a preview of Issue #9 — featuring Annemann's classic pseudo-psychometry, an effect that has well and truly stood the test of time.

Links

Read every article in every issue: jinxnavigator.com

Jinx Navigator Podcast — Episode 7: Issue #7

Issue #7 of The Jinx is a strong one — a clean card transposition, a clever two-person code system, a prediction that disappears from the deck, and a classic bill-in-lemon with some real teeth to it. Annemann also pays tribute to a giant of the magic world and goes on a rant that's just as relevant today as it was in 1935.

Effects Covered

[0:57] The ELM Card Change — E. Leslie May A chosen card and a card initialed by the performer swap places — the helper's card ends up in the performer's pocket, the performer's card turns up in the middle of the deck. Works with any borrowed deck, no switches, no special cards, and the moves you'll learn along the way are worth adding to your repertoire regardless.

[2:04] Question of the Month — Theodore Annemann Rather than a finished effect, Annemann throws down a challenge: he has the production figured out for a card-through-tambourine routine, but not the vanish — and he's offering a 10-issue subscription to any reader who can solve it. If you're listening in 1935, now's your chance.

[3:21] A Practical Card Code — Orville Wayne Meyer A complete verbal coding system for a two-person mind reading act, where suit and value are hidden inside what sounds like perfectly natural conversation. Annemann closes with a clever tip: force a pre-agreed card at the end and name it without a single word spoken between you — a nice way to throw off anyone listening too carefully.

[4:55] The New Nightmare — Theodore Annemann A card is freely stopped at, and a prediction written beforehand names it exactly — but the twist is that the predicted card has also vanished from the deck and turned up as the card the prediction was written on. Works with a borrowed deck, requires a simple self-made gimmick, and almost no sleight of hand.

[6:23] The Lemon and the Dollar — Conrad Bush A borrowed, signed bill vanishes and reappears rolled up inside a lemon that's been in a helper's pocket the whole time — serial number matches, torn corner fits. Annemann adds an editor's note pushing back on one aspect of Bush's handling and offers an alternative vanish method.

[7:56] Editorial — Theodore Annemann Annemann opens with a warm tribute to John Northern Hilliard, a press agent and business rep for some of the era's greatest magicians. He then pivots to a rant about magicians who over-explain everything — a critique that, as Jay notes, lands just as hard today as it did in 1935. He closes with a tease for Issue #8 and the controversial list he's been sitting on for two years.

[9:05] Outro Links and a preview of Issue #8 — featuring Annemann's Five Foot Shelf of Magic, which has a modern equivalent available.

Links

• Read every article in every issue: jinxnavigator.com
• Full details on all effects: Issue #7 at jinxnavigator.com

Next episode: Issue #8 — featuring Annemann's Five Foot Shelf of Magic.

In this episode, Jay browses Issue #6 of The Jinx (1934–1941), the legendary newsletter for magicians and mentalists. This issue is heavy on Theodore Annemann, with contributions from Russell T. Wise and a peek at the editorial page.

Effects Covered

[0:00] Intro Jay introduces the show and the episode's focus: Issue #6 of The Jinx.

[0:45] Impromptu Frame Ups — Theodore Annemann Annemann explores using "instant stooges" — audience members who don't know they're confederates until the moment they're needed. Includes a card-calling effect, a watch-setting routine, and slate work. Jay notes the term "frame up" seems to have died out by the mid-1900s.

[2:48] The Astral Shirt — Theodore Annemann A classic gag elevated into a solid piece of close-up theater. With hands tied and never leaving sight for long, the performer removes his shirt while still wearing his jacket, tie, and vest — all examinable. Annemann's framing: solid through solid.

[4:25] The Card That Isn't — Russell T. Wise A two-card transposition using a force, a double lift, and a short card. Jay recommends making the two cards visually distinct for clarity — and makes a convincing case for why.

[6:00] Two Mind Reading Publicity Effects — Theodore Annemann The first mention of what we'd now call a center tear in The Jinx — though it isn't named as such. Includes a newspaper-chunk variation and a living-and-dead presentation using burned slips.

[7:55] Editorial Annemann name-drops Dai Vernon, Count Orloff, Russell Swan, Tommy Martin, and others. He floats the idea of publishing twice a month (spoiler: he goes weekly instead, starting at Issue #61), and closes with a short essay arguing that effect is supreme over method.

[8:17] Outro Links and a preview of Issue #7 — featuring Orville Wayne Meyer's "A Practical Card Code."

Links

• Read every article in every issue: jinxnavigator.com
• Full details on all effects: Issue #6 at jinxnavigator.com

Next episode: Issue #7 — featuring Orville Wayne Meyer's "A Practical Card Code."

In this issue Jay talks about Annemann’s “Red and Blue Back Color Change,” a two-card back-swap, discusses L. E. Duncanson’s “With Sight Unseen,” a hands-tied, blindfolded identification routine requiring a homemade gimmick that Jay doubts can accomplish all claimed feats. He covers two solutions to a prior issue’s “lie calling” challenge: Charles Nyquist’s stacked-deck approach dependent on a clean dovetail shuffle and Stuart Robson’s “The Lie Detective” with constraints on when the lie occurs. Annemann’s “A Question and the Answer” uses slips, a switch, and a gimmick for answering written questions, and Nat Scherzer suggests using used envelopes as a novel forcing/prediction prop. Annemann’s editorial includes performance notes, industry news, and a quote on secrets reducing income-earning value.

• 00:00 Welcome and Mission
• 00:37 Issue 5 Overview
• 00:58 Red and Blue Change
• 03:00 With Sight Unseen
• 05:03 Solution Something Work On
• 06:33 The Lie Detective
• 07:17 Question and Answer
• 08:40 Neat Publicity Trick
• 10:09 Annemann Editorial
• 11:07 Wrap Up and Next

In this issue we review Annemann’s “The Master of the Message,” an impromptu thought-reading effect. We summarize Martin Sunshine’s “Cigarette Perception,” where a blindfolded performer identifies cigarette brands, and suggests the method could be repurposed beyond smoking. Jay discusses Orville Wayne Meyer’s “Card Box Sympathy,” which uses a P&L Metal Card Box, but says the written handling seems inconsistent and asks listeners with the prop to test it. Jay explains Calvin Cole’s “One of Those Things,” a calculator-age-and-change revelation based on a simple math principle, with Annemann’s note that personal details like age increase interest and could be paired with numerology. He covers Vincent Dalban’s “Something to Work On,” a plot with no method where the performer detects when a helper lies while calling out dealt cards. Finally, he summarizes Stuart Robson’s “The Twentieth Century Newspaper Test,” using page-number corners and classified ads to reveal an ad’s contents. Jay invites listeners to view the full issue for free at JinxNavigator.com, share feedback, and teases Issue #5 and its “With Sight Unseen” effect.

• 00:00 Episode 004 Kickoff: What The Jinx Navigator Podcast Is About
• 00:36 Issue #4 Table of Contents + Annemann’s Editorial Highlights
• 02:18 Effect #1: The Master of the Message (Impromptu Thought Reading)
• 04:26 Effect #2: Cigarette Perception (A Smell Test Without Smelling)
• 06:09 Effect #3: Card Box Sympathy — Pricey Prop, Questionable Method
• 08:44 Effect #4: One of Those Things (Age + Pocket Change Calculator Reveal)
• 10:19 Something to Work On: A Great Plot… With No Method (Yet)
• 11:31 Final Effect: Twentieth Century Newspaper Test (Classifieds Mindreading)
• 13:10 Wrap-Up, Where to Read Issue #4, and Tease for Issue #5

Jinx Navigator Podcast: Jay Jennings reviews issue number three of The Jinx, a roughly 90-year-old newsletter for magicians and mentalists, to see which ideas still hold up and how they might be tweaked for modern use.

Aside from the editorial, Jay covers four items from the issue: Les Gilbert’s “A Card in Transit,” where a spectator-initialed card vanishes from the deck and appears in the performer’s pocket using sleight of hand and a gimmick card; Annemann’s “A Real Psychic Card Test,” a simple thought-transmission drawing match using chalkboards (or business cards) and misdirection through distance/time; Annemann’s “Dead or Alive,” a living/dead name test using five cards and a prepared envelope, which Jay finds workable but dislikes as a presentation outside séance contexts and discusses envelope sizing/handling considerations; and Annemann’s “The Bending Swizzle Stick,” a gag based on the rubber pencil illusion involving glass stirring sticks and a final apparent permanent bend. The episode ends with mention of a poem Annemann received from the Great Lester at an IBM convention and a brief note about Lester as a ventriloquist and mentor to Edgar Bergen.

Jay invites listeners to read full instructions and articles on jinxnavigator.com, share feedback, and return for issue #4 featuring “Cigarette Perception.” 00:00 Welcome to Jinx Navigator:

What this podcast is about

• 00:39 Issue #3 overview + editorial setup (and name-pronunciation warning)
• 01:30 Editorial highlights: circulation, rival newsletters, and working pros
• 03:20 Who's working where: venues, acts, and close-up advice
• 04:00 Effect 1 — 'A Card in Transit' (Les Gilbert): signed card to pocket
• 05:40 Effect 2 — 'A Real Psychic Card Test' (Ted Annemann): chalkboard mind-reading
• 06:44 Routine — 'Dead or Alive' test: envelope handling + presentation rant
• 10:11 Gag/bit — 'The Bending Swizzle Stick': rubber-pencil illusion with glass
• 12:00 Closing poem from The Great Lester + wrap-up and next issue teaser

Join Jay as he dives into the second issue of The Jinx (1934-1941), the legendary magic newsletter that shaped modern mystery performance. This episode breaks down five effects from Issue #2, exploring which tricks still work today.

In This Episode:

We explore five effects from The Jinx #2, including Ted Annemann's "The Devil's Four Aces" (a visual four-ace assembly), Orville Wayne Meyer's "The Finders" (a behind-the-back card location with a killer kicker ending), and "Your Card" (a clever effect using Si Stebbin's technique that's been fooling people since 1898). Jay admits defeat trying to decode Annemann's "Synthetic Sympathy" and calls for help from card workers who can make sense of the confusing instructions. The episode wraps with "The Demon-Yogi-Goblin Book Test," Annemann's tongue-in-cheek title for a book test method that's surprisingly versatile.

Contents:

• 00:00 Introduction to the Jinx Navigator Podcast
• 00:39 Sponsor Message: FlashCake
• 01:12 Exploring Issue Number Two
• 02:21 The Devil's Four Aces by Ted Annemann
• 04:21 The Finders by Orville Wayne Meyer
• 05:52 Synthetic Sympathy by Ted Annemann ( -- help wanted!)
• 07:46 Your Card by Orville Wayne Meyer
• 09:05 The Demon Yogi Goblin Book Test by Ted Annemann
• 10:49 Conclusion and Next Episode Preview

In this episode of the Jinx Navigator Podcast, Jay takes listeners through the significant highlights of the first issue of The Jinx, a historic magic newsletter by Theodore Annemann. He discusses the first magic effect, 'Hallucination' by Eddie Clever, the 'Supreme East Indian Needle feat' by Ted Annemann, 'Two Papers and a Spectator' by Ted Annemann, and 'The Mystery of the Blackboard' by Paul Rosini. Jay provides insights on the relevance and adaptability of these tricks for modern performers, and offers resources for those interested in learning more. Tune in to discover the timeless art of magic from the 1930s and how it can still mesmerize audiences today.

00:00 Introduction to the Jinx Navigator Podcast

00:54 Exploring Issue Number One: Hallucination by Eddie Clever

02:52 The Supreme East Indian Needle Feat by Ted Annemann

04:08 Two Papers and a Spectator by Ted Annemann

05:42 The Mystery of the Blackboard by Paul Rosini

07:32 Conclusion and Next Episode Preview