Monday, February 13, 2017

Wild About...Clempert?

This poster for John Clempert, a Russian wrestler turned escape artist, sold on eBay yesterday for a whopping $7,613. This may be a record price for a Houdini imitator.


This has to be one of the most blatant Houdini imitator posters of all time. Not only does Clempert co-opt Houdini escape imagery, but he also snatches incidents from Houdini's life. Apparently, Clempert also escaped from a Siberian Transport Prison Van and flew his own biplane!

Also check out the below image of "Clempert", drawn without much modification from a famous Houdini publicity photo. No wonder Houdini hated these guys.


According to Magicpedia, Houdini filed a suit against Clempert in England where variety acts were protected. Clempert apologized and promised not to infringe Houdini's rights in future. After Houdini's death, Clempert came out of retirement, but it was a short-lived revival.

Below are links to tales of more Houdini imitators.

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3 comments:

  1. Christian SchantzMay 18, 2021 at 8:47 PM

    Can you tell me what it says in the bottom right about the Bridge Jump?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. John CoxMay 19, 2021 at 7:30 AM

      I'm afraid it's too small for me to read. Sorry.

      Delete
    2. Leo HeviaMay 19, 2021 at 2:45 PM

      I was able to zoom in on it on my Kindle. It says:

      Diving from the Brisbane Bridge
      From the London Bridge
      & at Buenos Aires»»(A bit fuzzy admittedly, but that's what it looks like to me.)

      Delete

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