Here's a beautiful old postcard image of the famous New York Hippodrome theater. Houdini had the longest continuous engagement in one theater of his career here -- 19 weeks -- when he starred in the review
Cheer Up! in 1918. The theater closed in 1939. A modern office building now occupies the site at 1120 Avenue of the Americas, but still carries the name
The Hippodrome.
So what gigantic trick did Houdini perform in this gigantic space?
Speaking of the Hippodrome, not long ago I discovered a spotlight from this theater in an antique store in Hollywood. Cool to think that this spot could have once illuminated The Great Houdini.
I found that Houdini played in Cheer Up 1917-1918 then had his own show there during 1918 only to then be a part of another huge show entitled...Everything....1918-1919. Found this on the Broadway theater database. Does anyone know exactly what Houdini performed during the Everything show?
ReplyDeleteHoudini did the appearing "Eagle" in Everything.
DeleteI get conflicting info on Everything. Sometimes I hear it came before Cheer Up, sometimes after.
I can now answer this. Houdini played in Everything from August 22 to November 2, 1918.
DeleteVery educational article and I enjoyed learning about Houdini and Hippodrome. A great theater for entertainment it was and that spotlight is a historic sort out indeed. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThanks Todd. That spotlight is exciting. I would have bought it, but the store was asking too much.
DeleteSo in Cheer Up Houdini just did the elephant vanish and in Everything he just did the appearing Eagle. Or did he perform more than just those single effects? I have read that in-between both of those shows Houdini did his own show at the Hip.....among other things he did his submerged box escape three times a day in the pool under the stage.
ReplyDeleteThe submerged box was actually part of Cheer Up as well. He would do the elephant. Other acts would perform. And then he would come back and do the box. You can see this in old Cheer Up programs.
DeleteGreat stuff as always, John.
ReplyDeleteI believe he did the silks from fishbowl production and produced the eagle from the silks.
One other thought: Could the spotlight be from the Hippodrome in L.A.? - David
Right, the eagle came from the silks of the fish bow (The Whirlwind of Colors). Actually, a giant American flag came at the end of the silks and then the eagle came from that.
DeleteI didn't even know there was an LA Hippodrome? The store had it marked as having come from the HYC Hip. There might have even been a NYC stamp inside. I'll have to look at all my photos.
According to Silverman, in Everything he also performed the dangling straitjacket escape at the Hipp. Then he would perform the Whirlwind of Colors to produce the eagle. Wasn't it actually a falcon?
ReplyDeleteWhat else did Houdini do while working the Hipp?
1. Teach the doughboys to escape from German handcuffs.
2. Type out his monthly MUM columns from his dressing room.
3. Court Charmian London.
4. Move back to his Harlem brownstone from Hardeen's house in Brooklyn...books, trucks, and all.
5. Supervise the installation of the film developing equipment for his Hoboken lab.
6. More charity benefits at the Hipp. Historians credit Beatle George Harrison as the father of the charity benefit concert, but I think Houdini was the real ancestor.
And he made The Master Mystery.
Delete“Everything” came after “Cheer Up”. “Everything” opened on August 22nd, 1918 at the Hippodrome. According to Variety, Houdini was unable to present his “House of Magic”. He appeared with his left hand bandaged. He explained that because of an accident in which his wrist was fractured, he could not present his burial trick. But he escaped from a strait-jacket while hanging head down, at a height near the top of the proscenium.
DeleteWhat I find interesting is that Houdini had planned to present his burial trick during the “Everything” show, and we know that didn't happen.
ReplyDeleteNo--Houdini did perform with the eagle/falcon as part of his 9 minute act in Everything. Silverman notes on page 236 that Houdini performed the upside down straitjacket escape "...from a wire high over the Hippodrome stage. For the other effect in his nine-minute act, he presented the patriotic "Whirlwind of Colors," using an American eagle."
ReplyDeleteThe packing case escape from the Hippodrome pool was probably as close as he was going to get to a buried alive stunt on that stage. Interesting that he resurrected that on his last tour.
Cool. Thanks Leo. So in both reviews he did a magic effect and an escape. Cheer Up was Elephant Vanish and packing crate. Everything was Whirlwind/Eagle and suspended jacket.
DeleteI agree. However, according to “Everything” Show Review in Variety, they only mention him performing the strait-jacket opening night. BTW: Silverman also mentions that he was planning on doing a buried alive escape but had to abandon it after fracturing his wrist during filming. See John’s blog, http://www.wildabouthoudini.com/2011/01/digging-into-buried-alive.html and Patrick Culliton’s, The Key, for more information on the buried alive effect.
DeleteI think Houdini always tried to keep the magic/escape mix into his performances whenever he could throughout his career. When Beck told him to drop the magic, he kept the Sub Trunk and card manipulations in his act.
ReplyDelete