Fred Kaps (1961)
Music history
February 9, 1964
Fifty-two years ago today, at approximately 8:12 p.m. Eastern time, The Ed Sullivan Show returned from a commercial (for Anacin
pain reliever), and there was Ed Sullivan standing before a restless
crowd. He tried to begin his next introduction, but then stopped and
extended his arms in the universal sign for “Settle Down.” “Quiet!” he
said with mock gravity, and the noise died down just a little. Then he
resumed: “Here’s a very amusing magician we saw in Europe and signed
last summer….Let’s have a nice hand for him—Fred Kaps!"
For
the record, Kaps proceeded to be quite charming and funny over the next
five minutes. In fact, Fred Kaps is revered to this day by magicians
around the world as the only three-time Fédération Internationale des Sociétés Magiques Grand Prix
winner. But Fred Kaps had the horrific bad luck on this day in 1964 to
be the guest that followed the Beatles on Ed Sullivan—possibly the
hardest act to follow in the history of show business (link to more info below).
Ed Sullivan & The Beatles
February 9, 1964
Fred Kaps
(Abraham Pieter Adrianus Bongers) was born on June 8, 1926, in Rotterdam. He 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 silks. and the endless stream of salt.
On July 23, 1980, Bram Bongers better known to the world as Fred Kaps died of cancer. He was a month shy of his 54th birthday.
During a closed party on March 9, 2005, a memorial was revealed in front of the house in Utrecht where he used to live, to honor the contributions he made to magic. He was called the "World's Greatest Magician" in 1972 by George Anderson. In 1980 he received the AMA Masters Fellowship as well as being inducted in the SAM Hall of Fame.
Net links:
On July 23, 1980, Bram Bongers better known to the world as Fred Kaps died of cancer. He was a month shy of his 54th birthday.
During a closed party on March 9, 2005, a memorial was revealed in front of the house in Utrecht where he used to live, to honor the contributions he made to magic. He was called the "World's Greatest Magician" in 1972 by George Anderson. In 1980 he received the AMA Masters Fellowship as well as being inducted in the SAM Hall of Fame.
Net links:
Fred Kaps on the Ed Sullivan Show on YouTube
A sense of humor is important in life!
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