Houdini in 1950

Last week I did a post about Houdini's "Radio of 1950" illusion. Today I thought I would be interesting to follow up with a look at Houdini in 1950. This article by Lloyd E. Jones appeared in the magic magazine, The Bat (No. 83, November 1950), and assessed Houdini's fame and legacy at the half-century mark.

Not only does this article feature a photo of Houdini in Oakland that I've never seen, but it's a nice gauge of the magic community's feelings about Houdini at this time. It's filled with the same kind of backhanded praise that one stills hears today. It's also fun to read that "Hollywood still talks of a picture of his life." Of course, only three years later, Paramount's Houdini would be made with Tony Curtis, and would do much to propel Houdini as the most famous name in magic for the second half of the century.

Click to enlarge.

It's now 50+ years later and things haven't much changed. Houdini was clearly The 20th Century's Man of Magic, and he's now marching his way comfortably through the 21st Century. As the article says, "There is no use butting one's head against such a solid wall."

You can read this entire issue via The Conjuring Arts Research Center's amazing Ask Alexander search engine.