The Legend of Houdini with Greg Chapman

Magician Greg Chapman will debut his new show, The Legend of Houdini, at Alvechurch Village Hall in Birmingham, England, on October 23, 2024. Below are details. 

Even though Harry Houdini passed away nearly 100 years ago, he remains one of the most famous magicians the world has known. This is mostly because Houdini, as well as being a respected magician and escape artist, was above all a wonderful self publicist.

Never one to let the truth get in the way of a good story, especially one about himself, Houdini created his own legend.

Now, modern magician and escape artist Greg Chapman (creator and performer of The Non-Psychic ‘Psychic’ Show and writer of Greg and Felicity’s History of Magic) is taking to the stage with a new show, in which he performs effects and escapes inspired by Houdini, and shares some of the stories, both true and… exaggerated… that make up The Legend of Houdini!

£1 from every ticket sold for this show will be donated to Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center, Costa Rica.

You can purchase tickets at Ticket Source.

Greg will be touring The Legend of Houdini throughout the UK. You can see a list of upcoming shows HERE.

Related:

• Everyone's first Houdini poster
• I'm starting to think Houdini isn't always honest with us
• All posts related to Houdini events

Dunhill's Harry Houdini Commemorative Pipe

If I smoked, I would smoke a pipe. And if I smoked a pipe, it would be this one! Famed pipe maker Dunhill has crafted a special pipe commemorating Houdini's 150th birthday. Breathe in the details below.

Dunhill Harry Houdini Commemorative Pipe
In 2024 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth of entertainer Harry Houdini they released a special book edition pipe. A forward leaning dublin shape with an eye catching diamond shaped shank. The tamper captures in fine detail the bust of Harry Houdini wrapped in chains descending into a trademark milk churn. As this quaint pipe is not one of Dunhill's regular production shapes, it does not feature a traditional 4 digit code. The base is stamped with a 4 in a circle, indicating it's group 4 size. The collectable set is completed with a leather bound book case and a certificate of authenticity.

You can buy Dunhill's Commemorative Harry Houdini pipe at Smoking Pipes.com (this is the pipe pictured above). I also see a different pipe style at Goodfella's Cigar Shop, so you might want to investigate before buying.

Related:

• Houdini is alive and well at 150
• Houdini's Water Torture Cell 1 oz Silver Coin
• Houdini & Doyle (ep. 4): Spring Heel’d Jack

LINK: Harry Houdini in Salt Lake City, 1915

Here's a nice post on Rachel's SLC History about Houdini's appearance in Salt Lake City in 1915. Rachel gave me a nice shout-out, so happy to return the favor. I enjoy supporting blogs that are still created by human beings! And Rachel's story graphic (right) is pretty cool.

Click the headline to read at Rachel's SLC History.

Related:

• Houdini's Salt Lake City sequel
• Salt Lake City History Minute - Harry Houdini
• Hardeen in caricature

Ragtime restored 40th Anniversary Blu-ray

I don't know how I missed this, but in 2021, Paramount released a newly restored version of the 1981 film Ragtime on Blu-ray. The Blu-ray contains the restored theatrical cut, a recently discovered workprint featuring additional scenes, including the lengthy cut scene with Emma Goldman, and lots of extras. 

Layering fascinating characters with the riotous events of early 1900s America, the best-seller by E.L. Doctorow became a cinematic epic under the direction of two-time Oscar winning director Miloš Forman. From the emerging New York suburb of New Rochelle to the flashy spectacle of Atlantic City, a family faces racial tensions, scandals and violence that will test everything they believe in. Newly remastered from a 4K film transfer for its 40th Anniversary, RAGTIME features an unforgettable music score by Randy Newman, and an incredible all-star cast that includes/ James Cagney in his first (and final) role in nearly two decades, Donald O’Connor, Mandy Patinkin, Mary Steenburgen, Debbie Allen, Elizabeth McGovern, Moses Gunn, Pat O’Brien, Jeff Daniels, Fran Drescher, John Ratzenberger, Michael Jeter, Norman Mailer, and Samuel L. Jackson.

While Houdini plays a sizable role in the Ragtime book and stage musical, his role in the film is reduced to newsreel footage and a suspended straitjacket. However, I still consider it part of the larger Houdini filmography. There are no extra Houdini scenes in the cut footage, but I did learn from the commentary track that James Randi served as technical adviser for the straitjacket escape, which actor Jeffrey DeMunn performed himself.

I also learned that Robert Altman of M*A*S*H and Nashville fame was initially attached to direct Ragtime from a script by E.L. Doctrow himself. This is likely when John Belushi was in the mix to play Houdini, as the role would have been much larger. I have to say, I love the idea of a Robert Altman-directed Ragtime. He would have kept the ensemble and the sprawl. But I still enjoy the film that we have, especially the score by Randy Newman.

Purchase the Ragtime 40th Anniversary Blu-ray at Amazon.com.

By the way, I learned about this Blu-ray from the below interview with Charlotte Barker, Director of Film Preservation and Restoration at Paramount Pictures, who championed this release. It's a good interview worth a watch.

Related:

• Houdini in the 1981 Ragtime movie
• John Belushi almost played Houdini
• Houdini on the covers of Ragtime

Houdini's 2nd lecture tour began 100 years ago today

It was 100 years ago today on Oct. 9, 1924, that Houdini kicked off his second Spiritualism lecture tour at the Pine Street Church in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Houdini began his talk by telling the crowd that he had first been to Williamsport during his 1895 tour with the Welsh Bros. Circus and that he had never seen a town that had changed so much over the years.

Today, Williamsport commemorates both his appearances with a historical marker erected by Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz in 2016.

Houdini's second spiritualism tour, now called "Can the Dead Speak To the Living?" took him on a 9000-mile cross-crossing route through Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, California, Oregon, Washington, Illinois, Ohio, West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New York. His two combined tours covered almost 12,000 miles during this single year.

For this occasion, I've created an interactive Google map showing the complete route of Houdini's two tours (as far as I know them). If you're a member of my Patreon, you can start the journey by clicking below.

Thanks to my patrons for supporting content like this.

Related:

• Houdini's war on fake mediums began 100 years ago today
• Houdini describes his spiritualism lecture in full
• Williamsport honors their "Wild Man" with historical marker

Gary Larson on his Houdini Far Side

Here's a classic from The Far Side with a Houdini twist. Pretty funny. Last week, Screen Rant published an interview with artist Gary Larson, who talked about this specific comic. Says Larson, "I remember all too well my long day in hell with this cartoon."

From Screen Rant:

Despite the comic successfully conveying its joke, Larson spent hours trying to get Houdini's 'corpse' right. Larson had to walk a fine line for what was acceptable to publish in newspapers all over the country, but also thought that a corny Halloween skeleton wouldn't achieve the darkness needed to make the joke genuinely funny. 

The Far Side creator recalls: Now, if you will, please pretend that you are the Cartoon Coroner and take a closer look at the "deceased." What we have here is a decomposed body, with the main focus on the head. If it's too gruesome, it doesn't work. If it's too corny, it doesn't work. The expression on that face has to simultaneously capture silliness and scariness, horror and hilarity, sadness and stupidity. For me, this meant draw, erase, draw, erase, draw, erase ... for hours. I couldn't get it, although I think in the end I got sort of close. ... If it hadn't been for my deadline, I might be sitting there to this very day, doomed to draw Houdini's skull for the rest of my life until I, too, am discovered one day looking much like this very drawing, only perhaps funnier.

You can read the full interview at Screen Rant. Below are some (less funny) Houdini corpse-related posts.

Related:

• What remains of Harry Houdini?
• Houdini death photo keeps us guessing
• "Death expert" Bill Bass to examine Houdini's corpse

Halloween screening of The Grim Game in Chicago

Here's an exciting Houdini Halloween event from Sideshow Gelato and the Society of American Magicians. Details below.

You don't want to miss this SPOOKTACULAR Double Feature! Starting the night off right with a LIVE ESCAPE SHOW! See straight jacket escapes! lock picking! chains! and more! Our show before the show will begin at 7pm! The lost silent film, The Grim Game featuring Harry Houdini will begin at 8:30!

ABOUT THE SHOW

We are once again collaborating with The Society of American Magicians to bring you a show loaded with action! See recreations of some of your favorite Harry Houdini Escapes! We'll have straight jackets! Handcuffs! Chains! and more!

To reserve your spot we ask for a $31 donation. If you would like to donate any other amount come see us day of show. However we can not guruntee space for everyone with our seating limit. The show is BYOB with a $5 corkage fee (please drink responsibly).

For more information and to buy tickets CLICK HERE.

Thanks to Cassidy Rose.

Related:

• Houdini sells out in Sierra Madre
• The Grim Game is a hit on Terror Island
• Houdini conquers Hollywood (at last) in The Grim Game

The Columbia was wild about Harry!

I've seen effusive Houdini advertising before, but this ad for the independently run Columbia Theatre in Cincinnati, Ohio, takes the cake. This was for Houdini's two-week run in January 1908. I love how it adds "And Houdini" after every other name on the bill.

Cincinnati Post, Jan. 6, 1908

I would love to know what exactly was displayed in Max Joseph's cigar store window. 

This was Houdini's third appearance at the Columbia. During his first week, he escaped from a cell at Cincinnati’s Central Station in 31 minutes. The cell had once held the infamous Scott Jackson (right), a murderer whom some believed had hypnotic power and was able to impose his will on victims using his steel blue eyes.

During his second week, Houdini featured a string of challenges: packing case (Monday), leather bag (Tuesday), iron-bound willow hamper (Wednesday), paper bag (Thursday), and a packing case built on the stage (Friday). He finished his run on Saturday with a straitjacket escape in eight minutes on a $100 wager.

Another nice detail about this engagement is that Houdini's mother joined him. Houdini recorded in his diary that, upon her arrival in Cincinnati, “Charlie the dog went wild for thirty minutes with joy.”

The Columbia Theater stood at 525 Walnut Street. It became part of the Keith circuit in 1910 and was renamed the B.F. Keith Theater in 1912. Houdini played the theater seven times. It closed in September 1965 and was demolished in July 1966. Today, it is the site of Fountain Square.

Want more? You can download research related to Houdini's 1908 engagement in Cincinnati as a Scholar member of my Patreon below. Thanks to my patrons for supporting content like this.

Related:

• Off-script in Cincinnati
• LINK: Houdini, Martin Beck, and Herrmann in Cincinnati
• Houdini living on the air in Cincinnati

Houdini and The Last Action Hero

The Last Action Hero is an awful movie—famously awful. It was the first bomb after a string of successes for star Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, The Last Action Hero has a Houdini reference that's integral to the plot. Luckily, you don't need to watch the movie to see it. The entire "Houdini's Magic Ticket" scene is below.

If you're curious, the theater we see here is the 1927 Orpheum in downtown Los Angeles. The exterior is the Empire Theater on 42nd Street in New York. Houdini never played either theater.

Related:

• Houdini nods in Disney's new OZ
• The best Houdini movie without Houdini
• List of surviving Houdini theaters

American Oddities Museum Houdini Seance

What better way to kick off October 2024 than with news of a Halloween Houdini seance. This sounds like a must if you live near Alton, Illinois. Details below.

Join author and host Troy Taylor at the American Oddities Museum in the Mineral Springs Hotel in Alton for this special Halloween event as we continue the tradition of attempting to contact the spirit of one of the great magicians and illusionists who ever lived! On Halloween night of 1926, Harry Houdini stepped through the curtain from this world to the next, promising that if it was possible to reach out from beyond the grave — he would do so! Over the years, there have been many attempts to reach Houdini in the next world — and despite several close calls — his spirit has remained elusive. Will this finally be the year? And will it happen at the American Oddities Museum, where relics from Houdini’s life are on display?  

This is your chance to find out — and we’ll have VERY LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE, so you don’t want to miss out!

You can get more information and purchase tickets HERE.

If you are organizing or know of any Houdini seances or Houdini-themed Halloween events, feel free to let me know, and I will give it a shoutout!

Related:

• The secret origins of the annual Houdini Seance
• Halloween 1936: The Final Houdini Seance
• The Final Houdini Seance redux 1986

William Kalush talks Houdini, Oct. 24

The great Bill Kalush will give a Houdini presentation as part of The American Museum of Magic's Magic Speaker Series on Thursday, October 24, at 7:00 PM ET. The talk is free for museum members and $15 for non-members. This online event will fill up, so I would act fast. To register, click the image below.

UPDATE: Bill says, "I'll be giving a talk about 3 of Houdini's greatest effects. I promise to reveal some details that are not in the books!"

Related:

• Bill Kalush has been to the mountaintop
• Bill Kalush to receive 2016 Milbourne Christopher Award
• American Museum of Magic restores Houdini display

Spirit Sleuths: How Magicians and Detectives Exposed the Ghost Hoaxes

I'm hearing good things about Spirit Sleuths: How Magicians and Detectives Exposed the Ghost Hoaxes by Gail Jarrow. Aimed at young adult readers, the book contains a generous amount of Houdini content and a wealth of terrific images from the entire history of spiritualism. Here's a description:

The latest from acclaimed author Gail Jarrow reveals how magicians—including Harry Houdini and his team of investigators—exposed fake mediums who exploited the vulnerable and gullible in the early twentieth century.

After millions of people died during World War I and from the 1918 influenza pandemic, the popularity of Spiritualism soared. Desperate to communicate with their dead loved ones, the bereaved fell prey to extortion by fraudulent mediums and fortune-tellers.

But magician Harry Houdini wasn't fooled. He recognized the scammers' methods as no more than conjurer's tricks. Angered by the way people were exploited, Houdini set out to expose the ghost hoaxes. In his stage show, he revealed the fraudsters’ techniques, and he used a team of undercover investigators to collect proof of séance deceptions. His head secret agent was a young New York private detective and disguise expert, Rose Mackenberg—a woman who continued her ghost-busting career for decades, long after Houdini's death in 1926.

Ideal for young readers and adults who are drawn to the worlds of psychics and magicians, this riveting book uncovers a little-known chapter in American history and details the ways people were (and still are) deceived by mediums and fortune-tellers.

You can purchase Spirit Sleuths: How Magicians and Detectives Exposed the Ghost Hoaxes at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Thanks to Arthur Moses.

Related:

• 'Houdini’s Girl Detective' out now
• The secret origins of Houdini the debunker
• Houdini exposed mediums MUCH earlier than we thought