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