Tuesday, September 3, 2013

BONUS: Marie Hinson remembers the generosity of Houdini

Today we have a special BONUS clip from the amazing audio interview with Bess Houdini's sister, Marie Hinson (Rahner), recorded by Stanley Palm around 1980. These excerpts come courtesy of Jon Oliver and are shared here with the blessings of John C. Hinson, the great nephew of Harry and Bess Houdini.

Here Marie remembers the generosity of her famous brother-in-law, Houdini, on stage and off. She talks about bringing her daughter Marie (Blood) to Houdini's show to do the shimmy; Houdini fondness for the shirts she made; his habit of doing magic at the dinner table; and how Houdini paid for her wedding to John Hinson on June 28, 1911.

The audio concludes with the untold story of Beatrice, the daughter of Bess's sister, Stella, who suffered from polio. This is not something that has ever appeared in any Houdini book and is a true testament to just how generous Houdini could be with his extended family. But I'll let Marie tell you all about it herself. Enjoy.



Speaking of generosity, a very big THANK YOU to Jon Oliver and Stanley Palm for making this possible. Also thanks to John C. Hinson and the Hinson family for allowing me to share these extraordinary memories from an extraordinary lady.

Click here to revisit all four clips
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14 comments:

  1. Tom IntervalSeptember 3, 2013 at 4:41 PM

    A great bonus! Thanks again, John, for taking the time to prepare and post these clips. Wonderful.

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    Replies
    1. John CoxSeptember 3, 2013 at 4:53 PM

      You see I finally figured out how to add more than one picture. :)

      Delete
    2. Tom IntervalSeptember 3, 2013 at 5:02 PM

      Yeah, looks good! And lovely bridal pics of Marie.

      Delete
  2. John CoxSeptember 3, 2013 at 4:58 PM

    BTW, who do we think was the sister-in-law that threw rice in her face? Dark Sadie?

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  3. DAVID SALTMANSeptember 3, 2013 at 5:19 PM

    Great job, John. Thanks!

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  4. John HinsonSeptember 3, 2013 at 5:47 PM

    What and outstanding job, all the pictures came in handy for this project. nice to share the family with everyone.

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    Replies
    1. John CoxSeptember 3, 2013 at 6:16 PM

      And there's a lot more Hinson family treasures to come. :)

      Delete
  5. Beth S.September 3, 2013 at 8:18 PM

    Awesome video! Wow, thanks so much for putting this up!

    Question: Any idea who the other 3 people in the wedding picture were?

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    Replies
    1. John CoxSeptember 3, 2013 at 8:47 PM

      On the back it identifies them as "Tom and Anna Kraus and Marion." Who they were exactly I don't know.

      Delete
  6. Joe M. NotaroSeptember 3, 2013 at 8:26 PM

    Thank You John C, John H, and Jon O for sharing this special treat with us. Truly amazing!

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  7. Mark SchwartzSeptember 7, 2013 at 7:15 PM

    Thanks a lot for sharing this with us!

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  8. melboSeptember 7, 2013 at 10:43 PM

    I'm coming in late to this and all the good comments have been taken. But thanks for posting these clips - they are brilliant. =)

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    Replies
    1. John CoxSeptember 8, 2013 at 8:09 AM

      Better late than never! Glad you enjoyed these, melbo. :)

      Delete
  9. Jenny LerewAugust 3, 2020 at 12:36 PM

    As I write it's seven years since you posted this and I'm entranced listening to this lady with her ties to history-frankly it'd be great stuff even if Houdini wasn't her brother-in-law, but since he was, it's priceless. Time-travel! Thank god she was recorded.

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