Fred Kaps
Encyclopedia
Fred Kaps (June 8, 1926 – July 22, 1980) was a Dutch
magician, famous for being the only magician to become FISM Grand Prix world champion three times. He was the creator of numerous original effects including his version of the color-changing silk
s. Another popular effect he often performed was the Long Pour Salt trick. Part of the act has Kaps exhibiting facial expressions of great surprise and disbelief, as he tries unsuccessfully to desperately stop the flow.
Another of Kaps' most renowned tricks throughout the world was the famous Dancing & Floating Cork which he performed at extremely close quarters, allowing his audience to be really close-up to view the Magic (illusion)
.
A small cufflink box was shown then opened to find a wine bottle cork resting inside. With hands being held extremely steady, the cork starts to move and wriggle around inside the box. It's stated that this is a floating cork, well, all corks float on water. This one floats on air. With that the cork floats outside the box with absolutely no visible means of support.
A small four inch diameter metal ring is then passed over the cork every which-way. The cork stays floating. The audience is so close they cannot see anything holding the cork afloat. At the conclusion Kaps would grab the cork and pass it to an audience member watching.
This was such a spectacular and successful trick Fred Kaps then collaborated with London magician Ken Brooke at Ken Broke's Magic Shop, who then marketed the trick to magicians from the early 1970s. Before one could purchase the famous Kaps Dancing & Floating Cork one would have to sign a contract with Ken Brooke NOT to reveal or share the secret with anyone, not even fellow magicians. Then you would be permitted to buy the Kaps trick. The secret to the trick was that the cork is suspended on a fine nylon thread (known as invisible thread) which ran from Kap's neck to his fingertips.
Again, the Dancing & Floating Cork developed such a successful reputation as a close up illusion Michael Parkinson
had Fred Kaps feature it on British TV show Parkinson
.
Fred Kapps always performed with great joy and worked very hard. He always had beads of sweat on his brow. He'd often joke about it, "This is a magnificent building," he said with his tenor voice, "but I think the roof is leaking." This would always get a laugh, which he would milk.
and became interested in magic through performances by his barber, Piet Verschragen. Verschragen was not only good at cutting hair, but was also an amateur magician. He often tried magic effects on his customers. One of his favorites was the disappearance of two matchsticks. One of the customers that was more interested than most was young Bram. He'd visited Verschragen's shop often. Bram wanted to learn the tricks Verschragen showed him. The barber said he would, if he'd got a hair cut first. Not only did he leave after each visit with a fresh haircut, but a new magic trick as well.
Bram would go home and practice until he knew how to perform these effects himself. Then he would return for more. While there, Bram noticed Verschragen's daughter, Nel or Nelly. Piet too noticed this. After a while the barber asked him, "Bram, what are you really coming in for, my daughter or my magic tricks?"
An embarrassed Bram answered, "Both." Bram practiced each new trick that the barber taught him as well as befriending his daughter Nel.
In secondary school Bram showed his classmates what he knew. This was usually at the wrong time. His teacher would confiscate the tricks and put them in his drawer. Bram's father was not pleased. He tried to tell his son repeatedly that, "Not a sliver of bread could be earned with this kind of jocularity."
At the age of nine, Bram collected coupons on oatmeal packages and sent away for a box of magic tricks. After finishing his high school education, Bram thought about becoming a cook like his brother. He was tested by the MULO
(translated is expanded primary education). The MULO’s results showed that Bram had a natural talent for design. His father wanted him to enroll into a drawing academy in Amsterdam so he could work as an artist in advertising. But Bram wanted to turn his hobby into a profession. His father would have had his way if WWII didn’t intervene. There was no trains going to Amsterdam at the time and Bram had to stay in Rotterdam. That’s when his interest in magic grew.
Using the name Valdini, he performed at weddings and parties. Then he changed his name to Mystica and performed for Dutch soldiers. Later, Bram too had to serve in the military. He was put into the "cabaret group" and performed magic. He went to Indonesia
where he retained his passion for magic by performing.
He greatly admired American magician Channing Pollock
as well as Italian magician Chefalo and German magician Kalanag. Kalanag, (born Helmut Ewald Schreiber) toured the world as an illusionist. Bram worked with him for about one month. Kalanag wanted him to take over the show. It just didn’t work out for him. It seemed that the big trunks, the crates, and large illusions just didn’t suit him. Bram favored the smaller props.
World War II was over with for about a year and normal life soon resumed. But, young Mystica found it difficult to get work. In 1946, Bram entered the competition at the first national Dutch convention for the International Congress of Magicians.
About three hundred artists from the Netherlands, France, Great Britain, Belgium and Spain attended the convention. The event was put together by the magical magazine, Triks.
On August 9 magic competitions where held at the Krasnapolski Hotel in Amsterdam
, Holland. The festivities would include a ball and a public show. The convention was attended by such masters in the field of magic as Jean Valton from France, John Ramsay from Scotland and Balsamo, Boeda and the Flezki's from the Netherlands.
Bram, under the stage name of Mystica, performed a gambling routine. Mystica didn't win a prize that day, but he made a good impression on columnist Alex Wins. He wrote, "In the opinion of your reporter, this young man presented the best performance of the convention. His Poker Deal was neatly done, technically outstanding and met high artistic standards. He also proved that mime and acting are of great value. Mystica is still young, but I'll dare to predict that he has a dazzling future ahead." This also changed the minds of his parents, who were now more appreciative of Bram's chosen profession.
Even Mr. Wins didn't realize how dazzling a career was in store for the young magician from Holland. Bram was a protégé of Henk Vermeijden, who was the owner of a magic studio in Amsterdam. Henk trained several world champions. He became Mystica's agent, director, and coach. In 1950, Bram had a new act, the continuous production of canes, which he had rehearsed with Henk for about a year. He performed it at the Dutch national convention in Arnhem
, and was a big hit. What impressed everyone was not only the personality that would soon gain him world wide acclaim, but that cultivated look of the routine that was so technically polished.
World Convention. With his perpetual appearance of canes, he charmed the 2,000 that attended. The applause that followed was thunderous. Within ten minutes he magically transformed himself from an unknown young man from Utrecht, to the success of the entire convention. He gained his first Grand Prix.
During the closing ceremonies, Bram was presented with an extra prize by the Swedish Magic Circle. They gave him a silver wand for being the most polished act of the convention. Then after FISM, Mystica was signed up for a two week run in Barcelona
at the El Cortijo nightclub. From then on he became a heavily booked magician.
There were other magicians that used similar sounding names to Mystica. Henk didn’t like the sound of Mystica. He felt Bram needed a name that would, “…click in any language”, so they sat down to ponder an appropriate name. They went through the phone book until they found an advertisement for raincoats made by a company named Daks. From there they developed the word Kaps. But Bram Kaps would not do because people from other countries always mangled his first name. So on December 1950, Bram Bongers, changed his stagename to Fred Kaps. In 1952, Kaps married his childhood sweetheart Nelly. Nelly would put up with her husband’s one track mind as his success grew.
A day before the competition some of Kaps' friends, who had seen a few of the competitors' acts, told him to withdraw because the others looked very promising. They suggested Kaps should feign some kind of injury or illness. “You must find any excuse to withdraw,” his friends said. Kaps was upset by all of this.
Nelly heard this and got angry. “Are you crazy,” she said. She turned to Kaps and said, “If you do that I’ll expose you! We are here to enjoy ourselves.” The next morning she purchased some tranquillizers and got him to take a hot bath to relax him.
But his friends didn’t realize Kaps’ new act had a lot of surprises in store. On the day of his performance, he wasn’t going to let the public sense his anxiety. He entered the stage carrying a walking cane. They expected him to go into his continuous production of canes routine. Then, to the audience surprise, he produced a full size rabbit from the tip of the cane. From there, he did a series of silk manipulations. He did some unique one handed color changes, followed by the canary in microphone. He intermixed some card manipulations in between. One stunt was to spread the cards over his arm. Then he flipped the cards over with the same hand and caught the cards before they fell to the floor. He seemed to take great joy as the cards flowed through.
The finale was a version Roy Benson’s Long Pour Salt. Both Benson and Kaps handling of the trick were superb. Benson used dialogue interspersed with a syncopated drum beat. Benson pretends to be bored as the salt just keeps pouring and pouring. He looks at his watch while the music acts like it’s stuck as it plays one note waiting and waiting for the salt to finish. Finally it does. Benson shows his hands empty and runs off stage.
Kaps handling is different. He is silent throughout the trick using music in the background. He takes out the salt cellar and tries to shake the salt into his closed fist. Too impatient for that, he opens the cap and makes it disappear. Then he taste it as he mouths the word, “Salt”. He pours it into his fist and makes the salt disappear. He shows his hands empty and produces the salt from his closed fist.
He picks up the shaker and tries to catch the produced salt, but it starts to overflow. He panics as he doesn’t know what to do with the over abundance of the white stuff. The music starts to end and Kaps poses as he hopes the salt will end with it. Silence. The music has stopped, but the salt has not.
He looks over to the bandleader to play something. The band plays Stars and Stripes For Ever from John Phillip Sousa and the salt keeps pouring. Frantically, Kaps puts some of the salt into his pants pocket to get rid of it. The march ends, but the salt keeps pouring. Kaps taps his foot for the bandleader to keep playing. It does and so does the salt. The music ends again and again the salt going. Kaps is laughing in embarrassment. He looks at the bandleader and utters “Da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da,” and the band plays the Sousa march again.
Finally the salt runs out and Kaps brushes the remaining salt from his empty hands. He takes a bow to the thunderous roars of applause.
Years later Kaps widow Nelly told Kaps biographer Freddie Jelsma that he worked on that closing bit for three years, "Salt was strewn constantly throughout the living room. If I needed some for cooking and couldn't find it in the kitchen, I knew Fred had been busy again”
Once again Kaps waited six years before he defended his title. It was almost expected of him. Days before the convention, ever the perfectionist, he was a nervous wreck. The night before the World Congress, Dutch newspaper, Het Parool
wrote, “Yesterday, the world champion Fred Kaps from Rotterdam
gave an example of the act he will use to defend his title.” The paper went on to say that when Kaps gave a sample performance for his colleagues, it “…nearly brought the house down.”
Kaps improved the salt pour trick and added other items to his act. And once again added a few more surprises. FISM was to take place in Liège, Belgium on September 6, 1961. About 560 magicians from twenty-three countries registered, from which some 120 competed. The actual competition went on and on from day after day. There was also a lot of dead spots in between.
While there were many repetitive performances, some were bright spots. Former third place winner in Vienna, Frenchman Pierre Brahma and Fred Kaps, past champion. Brahma looked good and his act was spectacular. It was felt that he was the only competitor that would stand in the way of Kaps winning three grand championships. Brahma displayed silks empty and produced precious jewelry by the handful. As a finale, Brahma produced a chest that was overflowing with jewels.
This artistic performance made the tension even greater for Kaps. He started off with his usual opening of vanishing a cane in a newspaper. Then he started to read the paper, but cannot make out the print, so while folding the paper he produces a lit candle. He did a double take when he realized the impossibility of what he just did. All of this was taken from his previous act. Next he led to the new items.
He had preset a champagne bottle in a bucket next to him. From the bottle, bubbles came popping out. Kaps reached out and grabbed one of them. He proceeded to do manipulations with the bubble. After he was done with the bubbles, Fred moved on to the rest of his act. Instead of playing cards, Kaps manipulates banknotes, producing an endless amount of bills. Throughout all of this, he was interrupted by applause. He took these bills and boomeranged them into his top hat. The lit candles still continued to plague him appearing and disappearing. For the finale, Kaps produced a large candelabra.
When he was finished, the curtain fell and there a silence for awhile. Then the audience awoke from their stupor and broke into an ovation. Twelve jurors from 12 different countries granted Kaps with the Grand Prix de’ Honour. He became the first person to win three consecutive world championships.
in the United States, on February 9, 1964. He shared his American television debut with Wells & the Four Fays doing their unique brand of "acrobatic physical comedy." But, someone else was also having their debut that night, namely Rock and Roll
sensation The Beatles
. Kaps had to perform after the Fab Four whose noisy fans were in the studio audience. Because of this, when Ed walked out to introduced Fred, the audience was a bit restless. Sullivan had to quiet them down before he brought Fred on.
Kaps entered in full fanfare and looked confident. Kaps did his wonderful version of Fred Brau's Homing Card. He introduced it as a new trick. He told the audience that the trick is done with five ordinary red playing cards. As he counts them, he notices that the fifth card is not a red spot card, but a black face card. His confidence soon diminishes. He gets rid of the card because it doesn't matter how many, he can do it with just four spot cards. Each time he counts them, the face card returns. Fred gets very upset. The face card continues to plague him as he tries to get rid of it. He does this until he is left with two. He shows both of them and expects to see the face card, but is relieved to see that both are spot cards.
He shows the faces again, but one of the cards is a face card. The audience reacts, but he thinks they are incorrect as he states that everyone thinks it will be wrong again. So he continues only to find out that the face has returned again. He puts the face card away and apologizes to the audience because he can't do the trick with one card. And sure enough, when he shows it again, the face has played one last trick on the magician.
He closes with the now famous Salt Shaker trick. The Beatles followed up to close the show.
As a result of this performance, some 73 million viewers watched Fred Kaps' card and salt-shaker trick. While in the United States, he got an offer to appear in a movie. But because there was no magic in it, he turned it down.
Kaps also appeared on many European televisions shows. He also performed for 'august audiences' such as the royal families of both the Netherlands and Great Britain as well as President Sukarno
of Indonesia. He also had the pleasure to perform for Princess Grace
and Prince Rainier
of Monaco to name a few.
Along with his appearance (immaculate suit and white shirt), sleight of hand
was Kaps' trademark. He would practice an effect for weeks before he dared to perform it live. He performed both stage illusions and close-up magic using a variety of props like playing cards, candles, coins
, balls, dice and silks.
Kaps didn’t take to fame very well. He’d rather relax on his boat or camper than be stared at, “…like a monkey.” He preferred to stay at home and work on new effects or read his magic books. He enjoyed companionship and would talk all hours about his favorite subject, magic.
Kaps would have a long career becoming a favorite of magicians and audience alike. He would forever be known as the grand champion of FISM. A magicians trophy was named after Fred's mentor, Henk Vermeijden.
He loved to go to magic conventions because magic was not only his profession, but his hobby as well. Knowing that the convention was weeks away, Kaps would get excited. He would pack up his close-up case with all of the stuff he wanted to show.
He would get upset if he saw a fellow magician imitate him at the convention. Loving originality, he admired anyone that did anything out of the ordinary even if it wasn’t performed very well. He was interested in any amateur whose goal was originality.
sent Kaps an audio cassette saying how he was shocked about finding out about the cancer. He consoled his ailing friend by telling him how much he and his wife Corrie cared for him. He ended by saying that he learned a lot from working with him. “I learned from you how, by making every effort, by working hard, by giving enormous concentration, and by coping with any difficulty that arises, one can reach the summit! It is said all the time, but I believe that’s the way it is.”
He was doing much better and planned on working again. In May 1980, Kaps was honored with a Master Fellowship of the Academy of Magical Arts in Hollywood. Then he had a relapse. This time it was made public. He battled it the best he could, but on July 23, 1980, Bram Bongers better known to the world as Fred Kaps died. He was a month shy of his 54th birthday. He left a wife, a mother, and two daughters.
He was called "World's Greatest Magician" in 1972 by George Anderson. This is a widely shared opinion. In 1980 he received the AMA Masters Fellowship as well as being inducted in the SAM
Hall of Fame.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
magician, famous for being the only magician to become FISM Grand Prix world champion three times. He was the creator of numerous original effects including his version of the color-changing silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
s. Another popular effect he often performed was the Long Pour Salt trick. Part of the act has Kaps exhibiting facial expressions of great surprise and disbelief, as he tries unsuccessfully to desperately stop the flow.
Another of Kaps' most renowned tricks throughout the world was the famous Dancing & Floating Cork which he performed at extremely close quarters, allowing his audience to be really close-up to view the Magic (illusion)
Magic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
.
A small cufflink box was shown then opened to find a wine bottle cork resting inside. With hands being held extremely steady, the cork starts to move and wriggle around inside the box. It's stated that this is a floating cork, well, all corks float on water. This one floats on air. With that the cork floats outside the box with absolutely no visible means of support.
A small four inch diameter metal ring is then passed over the cork every which-way. The cork stays floating. The audience is so close they cannot see anything holding the cork afloat. At the conclusion Kaps would grab the cork and pass it to an audience member watching.
This was such a spectacular and successful trick Fred Kaps then collaborated with London magician Ken Brooke at Ken Broke's Magic Shop, who then marketed the trick to magicians from the early 1970s. Before one could purchase the famous Kaps Dancing & Floating Cork one would have to sign a contract with Ken Brooke NOT to reveal or share the secret with anyone, not even fellow magicians. Then you would be permitted to buy the Kaps trick. The secret to the trick was that the cork is suspended on a fine nylon thread (known as invisible thread) which ran from Kap's neck to his fingertips.
Again, the Dancing & Floating Cork developed such a successful reputation as a close up illusion Michael Parkinson
Michael Parkinson
Sir Michael Parkinson, CBE is an English broadcaster, journalist and author. He presented his interview programme, Parkinson, from 1971 to 1982 and from 1998 to 2007.- Early life :...
had Fred Kaps feature it on British TV show Parkinson
Parkinson (TV series)
Parkinson is a British television talk show that was presented by Sir Michael Parkinson. It was first shown on the BBC from 1971 to 2004, and on ITV from 2004 to 2007.-Background:...
.
Fred Kapps always performed with great joy and worked very hard. He always had beads of sweat on his brow. He'd often joke about it, "This is a magnificent building," he said with his tenor voice, "but I think the roof is leaking." This would always get a laugh, which he would milk.
Haircut that became magic
Bram was born in UtrechtUtrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
and became interested in magic through performances by his barber, Piet Verschragen. Verschragen was not only good at cutting hair, but was also an amateur magician. He often tried magic effects on his customers. One of his favorites was the disappearance of two matchsticks. One of the customers that was more interested than most was young Bram. He'd visited Verschragen's shop often. Bram wanted to learn the tricks Verschragen showed him. The barber said he would, if he'd got a hair cut first. Not only did he leave after each visit with a fresh haircut, but a new magic trick as well.
Bram would go home and practice until he knew how to perform these effects himself. Then he would return for more. While there, Bram noticed Verschragen's daughter, Nel or Nelly. Piet too noticed this. After a while the barber asked him, "Bram, what are you really coming in for, my daughter or my magic tricks?"
An embarrassed Bram answered, "Both." Bram practiced each new trick that the barber taught him as well as befriending his daughter Nel.
In secondary school Bram showed his classmates what he knew. This was usually at the wrong time. His teacher would confiscate the tricks and put them in his drawer. Bram's father was not pleased. He tried to tell his son repeatedly that, "Not a sliver of bread could be earned with this kind of jocularity."
At the age of nine, Bram collected coupons on oatmeal packages and sent away for a box of magic tricks. After finishing his high school education, Bram thought about becoming a cook like his brother. He was tested by the MULO
Mulo
* MULO, a school form in the Netherlands until 1968* Mullo, a kind of vampire...
(translated is expanded primary education). The MULO’s results showed that Bram had a natural talent for design. His father wanted him to enroll into a drawing academy in Amsterdam so he could work as an artist in advertising. But Bram wanted to turn his hobby into a profession. His father would have had his way if WWII didn’t intervene. There was no trains going to Amsterdam at the time and Bram had to stay in Rotterdam. That’s when his interest in magic grew.
Using the name Valdini, he performed at weddings and parties. Then he changed his name to Mystica and performed for Dutch soldiers. Later, Bram too had to serve in the military. He was put into the "cabaret group" and performed magic. He went to Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
where he retained his passion for magic by performing.
He greatly admired American magician Channing Pollock
Channing Pollock (magician)
Channing Pollock was an American magician and film actor.-Magician:As one of the most sophisticated and charismatic practitioners of his craft; strikingly handsome with an enigmatic stage presence, he was best known for an act in which he would elegantly produce doves out of thin air and he was...
as well as Italian magician Chefalo and German magician Kalanag. Kalanag, (born Helmut Ewald Schreiber) toured the world as an illusionist. Bram worked with him for about one month. Kalanag wanted him to take over the show. It just didn’t work out for him. It seemed that the big trunks, the crates, and large illusions just didn’t suit him. Bram favored the smaller props.
World War II was over with for about a year and normal life soon resumed. But, young Mystica found it difficult to get work. In 1946, Bram entered the competition at the first national Dutch convention for the International Congress of Magicians.
About three hundred artists from the Netherlands, France, Great Britain, Belgium and Spain attended the convention. The event was put together by the magical magazine, Triks.
On August 9 magic competitions where held at the Krasnapolski Hotel in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Holland. The festivities would include a ball and a public show. The convention was attended by such masters in the field of magic as Jean Valton from France, John Ramsay from Scotland and Balsamo, Boeda and the Flezki's from the Netherlands.
Bram, under the stage name of Mystica, performed a gambling routine. Mystica didn't win a prize that day, but he made a good impression on columnist Alex Wins. He wrote, "In the opinion of your reporter, this young man presented the best performance of the convention. His Poker Deal was neatly done, technically outstanding and met high artistic standards. He also proved that mime and acting are of great value. Mystica is still young, but I'll dare to predict that he has a dazzling future ahead." This also changed the minds of his parents, who were now more appreciative of Bram's chosen profession.
Even Mr. Wins didn't realize how dazzling a career was in store for the young magician from Holland. Bram was a protégé of Henk Vermeijden, who was the owner of a magic studio in Amsterdam. Henk trained several world champions. He became Mystica's agent, director, and coach. In 1950, Bram had a new act, the continuous production of canes, which he had rehearsed with Henk for about a year. He performed it at the Dutch national convention in Arnhem
Arnhem
Arnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...
, and was a big hit. What impressed everyone was not only the personality that would soon gain him world wide acclaim, but that cultivated look of the routine that was so technically polished.
First FISM win
Later that year, he revised the Cane act and went to Barcelona, Spain where he performed it at the FISMMagic world championship
The Magic world championship is the title held by the winner of the International Grand Prix of Magic. Fred Kaps was the only magician to win three times.-External links:*...
World Convention. With his perpetual appearance of canes, he charmed the 2,000 that attended. The applause that followed was thunderous. Within ten minutes he magically transformed himself from an unknown young man from Utrecht, to the success of the entire convention. He gained his first Grand Prix.
During the closing ceremonies, Bram was presented with an extra prize by the Swedish Magic Circle. They gave him a silver wand for being the most polished act of the convention. Then after FISM, Mystica was signed up for a two week run in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
at the El Cortijo nightclub. From then on he became a heavily booked magician.
There were other magicians that used similar sounding names to Mystica. Henk didn’t like the sound of Mystica. He felt Bram needed a name that would, “…click in any language”, so they sat down to ponder an appropriate name. They went through the phone book until they found an advertisement for raincoats made by a company named Daks. From there they developed the word Kaps. But Bram Kaps would not do because people from other countries always mangled his first name. So on December 1950, Bram Bongers, changed his stagename to Fred Kaps. In 1952, Kaps married his childhood sweetheart Nelly. Nelly would put up with her husband’s one track mind as his success grew.
Kaps second and third Grand Prix wins
The next convention, Kaps sat out. He meant to defend his title but was developing a new act. He did attend the following convention in Amsterdam in 1955.A day before the competition some of Kaps' friends, who had seen a few of the competitors' acts, told him to withdraw because the others looked very promising. They suggested Kaps should feign some kind of injury or illness. “You must find any excuse to withdraw,” his friends said. Kaps was upset by all of this.
Nelly heard this and got angry. “Are you crazy,” she said. She turned to Kaps and said, “If you do that I’ll expose you! We are here to enjoy ourselves.” The next morning she purchased some tranquillizers and got him to take a hot bath to relax him.
But his friends didn’t realize Kaps’ new act had a lot of surprises in store. On the day of his performance, he wasn’t going to let the public sense his anxiety. He entered the stage carrying a walking cane. They expected him to go into his continuous production of canes routine. Then, to the audience surprise, he produced a full size rabbit from the tip of the cane. From there, he did a series of silk manipulations. He did some unique one handed color changes, followed by the canary in microphone. He intermixed some card manipulations in between. One stunt was to spread the cards over his arm. Then he flipped the cards over with the same hand and caught the cards before they fell to the floor. He seemed to take great joy as the cards flowed through.
The finale was a version Roy Benson’s Long Pour Salt. Both Benson and Kaps handling of the trick were superb. Benson used dialogue interspersed with a syncopated drum beat. Benson pretends to be bored as the salt just keeps pouring and pouring. He looks at his watch while the music acts like it’s stuck as it plays one note waiting and waiting for the salt to finish. Finally it does. Benson shows his hands empty and runs off stage.
Kaps handling is different. He is silent throughout the trick using music in the background. He takes out the salt cellar and tries to shake the salt into his closed fist. Too impatient for that, he opens the cap and makes it disappear. Then he taste it as he mouths the word, “Salt”. He pours it into his fist and makes the salt disappear. He shows his hands empty and produces the salt from his closed fist.
He picks up the shaker and tries to catch the produced salt, but it starts to overflow. He panics as he doesn’t know what to do with the over abundance of the white stuff. The music starts to end and Kaps poses as he hopes the salt will end with it. Silence. The music has stopped, but the salt has not.
He looks over to the bandleader to play something. The band plays Stars and Stripes For Ever from John Phillip Sousa and the salt keeps pouring. Frantically, Kaps puts some of the salt into his pants pocket to get rid of it. The march ends, but the salt keeps pouring. Kaps taps his foot for the bandleader to keep playing. It does and so does the salt. The music ends again and again the salt going. Kaps is laughing in embarrassment. He looks at the bandleader and utters “Da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da,” and the band plays the Sousa march again.
Finally the salt runs out and Kaps brushes the remaining salt from his empty hands. He takes a bow to the thunderous roars of applause.
Years later Kaps widow Nelly told Kaps biographer Freddie Jelsma that he worked on that closing bit for three years, "Salt was strewn constantly throughout the living room. If I needed some for cooking and couldn't find it in the kitchen, I knew Fred had been busy again”
Once again Kaps waited six years before he defended his title. It was almost expected of him. Days before the convention, ever the perfectionist, he was a nervous wreck. The night before the World Congress, Dutch newspaper, Het Parool
Het Parool
Het Parool is an Amsterdam-based daily newspaper. It was founded as a resistance paper during World War II by Frans Van Heuven Goedhart and Jaap Nunes Vaz...
wrote, “Yesterday, the world champion Fred Kaps from Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
gave an example of the act he will use to defend his title.” The paper went on to say that when Kaps gave a sample performance for his colleagues, it “…nearly brought the house down.”
Kaps improved the salt pour trick and added other items to his act. And once again added a few more surprises. FISM was to take place in Liège, Belgium on September 6, 1961. About 560 magicians from twenty-three countries registered, from which some 120 competed. The actual competition went on and on from day after day. There was also a lot of dead spots in between.
While there were many repetitive performances, some were bright spots. Former third place winner in Vienna, Frenchman Pierre Brahma and Fred Kaps, past champion. Brahma looked good and his act was spectacular. It was felt that he was the only competitor that would stand in the way of Kaps winning three grand championships. Brahma displayed silks empty and produced precious jewelry by the handful. As a finale, Brahma produced a chest that was overflowing with jewels.
This artistic performance made the tension even greater for Kaps. He started off with his usual opening of vanishing a cane in a newspaper. Then he started to read the paper, but cannot make out the print, so while folding the paper he produces a lit candle. He did a double take when he realized the impossibility of what he just did. All of this was taken from his previous act. Next he led to the new items.
He had preset a champagne bottle in a bucket next to him. From the bottle, bubbles came popping out. Kaps reached out and grabbed one of them. He proceeded to do manipulations with the bubble. After he was done with the bubbles, Fred moved on to the rest of his act. Instead of playing cards, Kaps manipulates banknotes, producing an endless amount of bills. Throughout all of this, he was interrupted by applause. He took these bills and boomeranged them into his top hat. The lit candles still continued to plague him appearing and disappearing. For the finale, Kaps produced a large candelabra.
When he was finished, the curtain fell and there a silence for awhile. Then the audience awoke from their stupor and broke into an ovation. Twelve jurors from 12 different countries granted Kaps with the Grand Prix de’ Honour. He became the first person to win three consecutive world championships.
Life after FISM
Kaps used those wins to appear on The Ed Sullivan ShowThe Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
in the United States, on February 9, 1964. He shared his American television debut with Wells & the Four Fays doing their unique brand of "acrobatic physical comedy." But, someone else was also having their debut that night, namely Rock and Roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
sensation The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
. Kaps had to perform after the Fab Four whose noisy fans were in the studio audience. Because of this, when Ed walked out to introduced Fred, the audience was a bit restless. Sullivan had to quiet them down before he brought Fred on.
Kaps entered in full fanfare and looked confident. Kaps did his wonderful version of Fred Brau's Homing Card. He introduced it as a new trick. He told the audience that the trick is done with five ordinary red playing cards. As he counts them, he notices that the fifth card is not a red spot card, but a black face card. His confidence soon diminishes. He gets rid of the card because it doesn't matter how many, he can do it with just four spot cards. Each time he counts them, the face card returns. Fred gets very upset. The face card continues to plague him as he tries to get rid of it. He does this until he is left with two. He shows both of them and expects to see the face card, but is relieved to see that both are spot cards.
He shows the faces again, but one of the cards is a face card. The audience reacts, but he thinks they are incorrect as he states that everyone thinks it will be wrong again. So he continues only to find out that the face has returned again. He puts the face card away and apologizes to the audience because he can't do the trick with one card. And sure enough, when he shows it again, the face has played one last trick on the magician.
He closes with the now famous Salt Shaker trick. The Beatles followed up to close the show.
As a result of this performance, some 73 million viewers watched Fred Kaps' card and salt-shaker trick. While in the United States, he got an offer to appear in a movie. But because there was no magic in it, he turned it down.
Kaps also appeared on many European televisions shows. He also performed for 'august audiences' such as the royal families of both the Netherlands and Great Britain as well as President Sukarno
Sukarno
Sukarno, born Kusno Sosrodihardjo was the first President of Indonesia.Sukarno was the leader of his country's struggle for independence from the Netherlands and was Indonesia's first President from 1945 to 1967...
of Indonesia. He also had the pleasure to perform for Princess Grace
Grace Kelly
Grace Patricia Kelly was an American actress who, in April 1956, married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, to become Princess consort of Monaco, styled as Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco, and commonly referred to as Princess Grace.After embarking on an acting career in 1950, at the age of...
and Prince Rainier
Rainier III, Prince of Monaco
Rainier III, Prince of Monaco , styled His Serene Highness The Sovereign Prince of Monaco, ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years, making him one of the longest ruling monarchs of the 20th century.Though he was best known outside of Europe for having married American...
of Monaco to name a few.
Along with his appearance (immaculate suit and white shirt), sleight of hand
Sleight of hand
Sleight of hand, also known as prestidigitation or legerdemain, is the set of techniques used by a magician to manipulate objects such as cards and coins secretly....
was Kaps' trademark. He would practice an effect for weeks before he dared to perform it live. He performed both stage illusions and close-up magic using a variety of props like playing cards, candles, coins
Coin magic
Coin magic is a general term for magical performances employing one or more coins which are manipulated to deceive and baffle the audience. Because coins are small, much coin magic is considered close-up magic or table magic, as the audience must be close to the performer to see the effects...
, balls, dice and silks.
Kaps didn’t take to fame very well. He’d rather relax on his boat or camper than be stared at, “…like a monkey.” He preferred to stay at home and work on new effects or read his magic books. He enjoyed companionship and would talk all hours about his favorite subject, magic.
Kaps would have a long career becoming a favorite of magicians and audience alike. He would forever be known as the grand champion of FISM. A magicians trophy was named after Fred's mentor, Henk Vermeijden.
Kaps love of magic
Kaps was a perfectionist in his craft. He thought that reaching the top of magic did not depend on luck or chance. He felt that careful studying was (one of), “…the factors that brought the different magicians their individual successes.” According to Kaps’ widow, Nelly Bongers, calling Bram (Fred Kaps) a perfectionist was, “…putting it mildly. You can’t believe how thoroughly he would investigate a subject when he started something new.” She goes on to talk about how this perfectionism was strong in everything he did in or outside magic. Kaps felt that magic was an art that should be studied.He loved to go to magic conventions because magic was not only his profession, but his hobby as well. Knowing that the convention was weeks away, Kaps would get excited. He would pack up his close-up case with all of the stuff he wanted to show.
He would get upset if he saw a fellow magician imitate him at the convention. Loving originality, he admired anyone that did anything out of the ordinary even if it wasn’t performed very well. He was interested in any amateur whose goal was originality.
Early death of the grand champion
Only Kaps' closest friends knew that he had cancer. Fellow Dutch magician Wim KanWim Kan
Willem Cornelis "Wim" Kan was a Dutch cabaret artist. Together with Toon Hermans and Wim Sonneveld, he is considered to be one of the Great Three of Dutch cabaret....
sent Kaps an audio cassette saying how he was shocked about finding out about the cancer. He consoled his ailing friend by telling him how much he and his wife Corrie cared for him. He ended by saying that he learned a lot from working with him. “I learned from you how, by making every effort, by working hard, by giving enormous concentration, and by coping with any difficulty that arises, one can reach the summit! It is said all the time, but I believe that’s the way it is.”
He was doing much better and planned on working again. In May 1980, Kaps was honored with a Master Fellowship of the Academy of Magical Arts in Hollywood. Then he had a relapse. This time it was made public. He battled it the best he could, but on July 23, 1980, Bram Bongers better known to the world as Fred Kaps died. He was a month shy of his 54th birthday. He left a wife, a mother, and two daughters.
Legacy
During a closed party on March 9, 2005, a memorial was revealed in front of the house in Utrecht were he used to live, to honor Kaps' contributions to magic.He was called "World's Greatest Magician" in 1972 by George Anderson. This is a widely shared opinion. In 1980 he received the AMA Masters Fellowship as well as being inducted in the SAM
Society of American Magicians
The Society of American Magicians is the oldest fraternal magic organization in the world. Its purpose is "to advance, elevate, and preserve magic as a performing art, to promote harmonious fellowship throughout the world of magic, and to maintain and improve ethical standards in the field of...
Hall of Fame.