Alexander Herrmann - The Herrmann Legacy

The Herrmann Legacy

Alexander Herrmann, known to the world as Herrmann the Great, was mourned the next day. The obituary that announced his death was the most extensive obituary ever for a magician. There was a commotion in the little town of Ellicottville. Herrmann’s company sent wires to New York theatrical agents seeking new jobs. Herrmann’s body was taken to New York for burial services. Thousands attended and tried unsuccessfully to get close to the coffin. He was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in New York.

When Herrmann died from heart failure in 1896, Adelaide continued performing her husband's illusions; she had to. Her husband’s failed investment had left her with little money; his extravagances had matched his income. And the well-publicized life insurance policy had been just publicity. On January 11, 1897, she was joined by Alexander's nephew, Leon Herrmann (March 13, 1867 - May 6, 1909). Leon gave a press conference at Hoyt's Theater in New York.

The Herrmann name still drew crowds, but because of clashes of temperament, Leon and Adelaide parted company after three seasons. He further annoyed his aunt by billing his own show as "Herrmann the Great". Even with the famous name, the public still missed their star. The show failed to draw audiences. This decline in the show led to Kellar taking over the mantle of the leading magician in America. Leon later trimmed his show to a short vaudeville act. While on a holiday trip to Paris, Leon died on May 16, 1909. Even after Leon's death, Madame Herrmann continued to perform. Even though she would never watch her husband when he presented the bullet catch, she too did this dangerous trick.

Madame Herrmann ventured on her own in vaudeville, billed as "The Queen of Magic". She condensed her show, calling it A Night in Japan. Madame Herrmann continued performing for 25 years with dramatic and lavish shows, which had become the hallmark of the Herrmann name. She did this until the age of 75, when she retired.

Alexander Herrmann in Fiction

On May 1, 2012 Pegasus Books published "Magic Words," a novel by Gerald Kolpan, which features Alexander Herrman as one of the two main characters. The book is about Alexander and his cousin, Julius Meyer who came to the United States in 1867 and eventually became the interpreter for such famous Indian chiefs as Sitting Bull, Red Cloud and Standing Bear. The book features many of the actual events from Alexander's life, including his performances of the Bullet Catch and The Floating Boy and the story of his one-thousand night sellout of the Egyptian Theatre in London. There are fictional events as well, such as Alexander's hiring of a notorious American Indian prostitute to be his assistant, passing her off as Princess Noor-Al-Haya, a rescuee from a Middle-Eastern harem. Kolpan is also the author of 2009's "Etta," a novel about Etta Place, girlfriend of the Sundance Kid (www.ettathenovel.com).