November 2019 in review

Here's a rundown of posts by category that appeared on WILD ABOUT HARRY in November.

Most Viewed Post
Here is that remarkable Houdini mystery footage

Houdini History

Bess appears on Halloween
In 1919 Houdini was tied to a cannon for veterans (twice)
Mysterious Houdini footage now mysteriously gone
My first look at the real Houdini
LINK: Harry Houdini made history right here in Kansas City
Houdini is a Historical Hottie
Houdini and the Mandela Effect
Houdini was to speak at spiritualism symposium in late 1926
Finding Houdini in Hull
Houdini's close call on Catalina Island 100 years ago today
The true date of the Jess Willard encounter

Events
Houdini's Day of the Dead on Catalina Island
Photos from The Official Houdini Seance 2019
Discover Houdini the Collector at the Harry Ransom Center, Dec. 5

Music
The Fens - Xmas in November (Official Video)
Once Upon A Time in Laurel Canyon
'Man of Magic' to be released as limited edition CD

Television
Sneak Peek: The Brave Harry Houdini

Books & Merch
The Phantom Files: Houdini's Curse
Harry Houdini's War is at peace with the facts
The scent of Houdini

Auctions
Houdini's Magicians Club portrait to be auctioned
The Master Mystery episode 3 poster at auction

Misc.
Hidden Houdini in the "Cursed Temple"
"Houdini & Hardeen" is back online
Barcelona's Museum of Chocolate holds Houdini
SPECTATE brought Houdini to Brisbane in 2017

Mystifier File
Mystifier, First Quarter 2000

The true date of the Jess Willard encounter

Every biography tells the story of Houdini's contentious encounter with heavyweight champion Jess Willard at the Los Angeles Orpheum in 1915. The incident even opens the newest book, The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini by Joe Posnanski. And the date always given is November 30th.

But I recently found evidence that this actually took place on November 29th (Houdini's opening night). First and foremost are two reports from the Los Angeles Daily Times and the Long Beach Press (below), which are the earliest accounts of the incident that I'm aware of. Both ran on November 30th and both state that it happened "last night", which would be Monday the 29th. The Los Angeles Herald also ran a small blurb about it on the 30th.

Heck, just the existence of these disproves the November 30th date as these stories appeared before Houdini even took the stage that night.

Los Angeles Times and the Long Beach Press, Nov. 30, 1915.

There is also corroborating evidence from Willard himself. In a letter to the editor that the boxer penned to the Los Angeles Examiner giving his side of the story, Willard writes that it happened "Monday night." An account in the New York Tribune also identified it has having happened "Monday night."

So why does everyone cite Tuesday, November 30? I believe it's because everyone uses the Los Angeles Record as their source. This is the account that was widely syndicated and used in Variety. It also appears in Houdini's pitchbooks (below). As with the other stories, the Record states that it happened "last night." But the Record was late to the game, or maybe it took them a day to work up their more detailed account (likely with Houdini's input), and they did not publish until December 1st. This turned "last night" into November 30th and history was forever altered.

This wouldn't be the first time we've been fooled by a syndication dateline. I've discovered some papers would alter them, presumably to makes their reporting appear more current. One paper pushed the encounter to December 1st!

I'm continuing to seek evidence for and against this new date, but I feel confident enough to begin to using November 29, 1915 as the true date of the Houdini-Jess Willard encounter.

And if you don't like it, take it up with Jess!

The poster artwork at the top of this post comes from The Pottawatomie Giant and Other Stories by Andy Duncan. 

Related:

• Houdini vs. the Pottawatomie Giant
• Willard's side
• One last jab

The Master Mystery episode 3 poster at auction

Bruce Hershenson's eMoviePoster.com is offering a Master Mystery episode 3 poster in their current auction that runs through December 5th. You can view the auction lot HERE.

It appears this is not the same episode 3 poster that Haversat & Ewing sold in 2016, but the auction listing does not provide provenance. Last June eMoviePoster.com sold an episode 9 poster for $28,500.

UPDATE: The poster sold for $23,956.00.

Related:

• The Master Mystery posters
• Houdini and The Master Mystery at Clune's
• A Master Mystery revelation at UCLA

Houdini's close call on Catalina 100 years ago today

It was on Thanksgiving day exactly 100 years ago that Houdini tried to play a real life action hero on Catalina Island. Houdini was there filming Terror Island and staying at the Hotel St. Catherine. The production was using the Catalina Flyer to shuttle crew and equipment between Avalon and the native village set at Banning's Beach (today Toyon Bay). But this day was stormy and the seas were rough, and a drama would unfold in front of the hotel that would call Houdini into somewhat fool-hearted action.

The Los Angeles Examiner on November 29, 1919 reported what happened:

A note about the date of this incident. The Examiner's dateline indicates this happened the morning of November 28, which was a Friday. But in preparing their 2018 Terror Island exhibition, the Catalina Island Museum discovered an account of the incident in the local Catalina Islander newspaper. That article and a letter to the editor by Captain McAfee thanking everyone for their help both state that it happened on Thursday, which was November 27 and Thanksgiving. Just think, had Houdini perished, he would have been known for dying on Thanksgiving! (Somehow not as good as Halloween.)

Intriguingly, both papers report that the incident was filmed. Perhaps if Houdini had been successful in his rescue attempt it would have been worked into the plot of the film as airplane accident was worked into The Grim Game. Unfortunately, this 300 feet of footage has never surfaced. But the Examiner did run a spectacular photo of the action on their front page.

Click to enlarge.

The Hotel St. Catherine was demolished in 1966 and today is know as Descanso Beach. The rocky outcrop where Houdini attempted his rescue remains. There's even talk of renaming it "Houdini Point"! Below are photos I took during my visit to Catalina earlier this year. As you can see, the low tide reveals the real danger both the Catalina Flyer and Houdini faced on that stormy Thanksgiving day 100 years ago.

Wishing everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

Related:

• Houdini now a permanent resident of Catalina Island
• Catalina 'Terror Island' screening a magical event
• Return to Terror Island

Finding Houdini in Hull

Last weekend Allan and Rebecca Taylor visited Hull, England, for a special UKEA challenge. While there they visited a few Houdini sites, including Victoria Square where Houdini filmed footage for Haldane of the Secret Service. Below is a great comparison shot. Houdini is the light colored suit and that's Allan in the UKEA hoodie walking in Houdini's footsteps. I love stuff like this!

Click images to enlarge.

You can see more photos, including Corporation Dock where Houdini did a pier jump on April 27, 1914, at the David De-Val Magic and Escapology Facebook page.

Thank you Allan!

Related:

• Haldane was here
• Chasing Houdini in Edinburgh
• Houdini's Charing Cross then and now

'Man of Magic' to be released as limited edition CD

Here's one I never expected to see! Stage Door in the UK will release the original cast recording of the 1966 London stage musical Man of Magic as a limited edition CD on December 13, 2019. Below are details.

Continuing Stage Door's 'Cast Album Masters Series' is the CD debut of the 'Man Of Magic' Original London Cast Recording. Based on the life of iconic magician and escapologist Harry Houdini, 'Man Of Magic' opened at London's Piccadilly Theatre on November 15th 1966 and ran for 135 performance. 

Featuring music by Wilfred Wylam (a pseudonym for classical composer Wilfred Josephs) and book and lyrics by John Morley and Aubrey Cash, the production starred Stuart Damon as Houdini alongside Judith Bruce as Bess and Stubby Kaye as Toby Kester. Produced by legendary theatre impresario Harold Fielding, the production received mixed reviews and failed to achieve the acclaim of his earlier successes 'Half A Sixpence' and 'Charlie Girl'. Despite the lukewarm critical response to 'Man Of Magic', the production was noted for its elaborate recreations of Houdini's illusions and the performances of its leading players Stuart Damon, Judith Bruce and Stubby Kaye. 

Although 'Man Of Magic' marked Wilfred Josephs' only work for musical theatre, there is much to be enjoyed in his distinctive and immediate score, not least the rousing duet 'Conquer The World', 'Suddenly' and the comedy numbers 'Take Your Medicine' and 'Kester's Crystal Cabbage'. 

The limited edition 500 unit only release of 'Man Of Magic' continues Stage Door's 'Cast Album Masters Series'. Licensing recordings from the major labels, the series presents the CD debut of many London Cast Recordings from the 1960s and 1970s, all digitally remastered from the studio master tapes.

You can hear song samples and pre-order at the Stage Door website. It's also available on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Thanks to Michael Mitnick for the alert.

Related:

• The first Houdini stage musical, MAN OF MAGIC
• The music of Man of Magic
• A reader remembers 'Man of Magic'

Houdini was to speak at spiritualism symposium in late 1926

It's always interesting to find something that reveals what Houdini would have been doing had he not died on Halloween 1926. This is one of those finds.

In December 1926, Houdini would have attended an 11-day symposium on spiritualism at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. He was to have been the closing night speaker, in fact.

According to Dr. Carl Murchison (above), the idea for the symposium came about during a luncheon with Houdini and Professor William McDougall of Harvard at the Bancroft Hotel in Worcester in 1925. Murchison recalled:

Professor McDougall and Mr. Houdini, though the best of friends, did not seem to be in entire agreement concerning certain matters that have become of wide social interest because of newspaper emphasis. Half jokingly and half in earnest, I suggested that they and other representatives thrash out the entire matter in a public symposium to be held at Clark University. The suggestion struck both of them with great force, and the three of us worked together in the lobby for more than two hours, planning the form of the symposium as well as we could at that early date.

Despite Houdini's death, the symposium proceeded as planned, running November 29 to December 11, 1926 at Clark University. Among the many presentations was the reading of paper by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ("The Psychic Question as I See It") and Dr. Le Roi Crandon presenting new photographs of his wife Margery producing ectoplasm. Instead of Houdini, the symposium ended with a lecture by Professor Nans Driesch of the University of Leipzig.

But there was still hope that Houdini might contribute, as reported by the Associated Press on December 13, 1926:

It appears Houdini had not yet prepared his manuscript, or that it couldn't be found. Instead, excerpts from his book A Magician Among The Spirits were included in the symposium's official volume, The Case for and Against Psychical Belief. In the introduction Murchison writes: "The book is only two years old, and Mrs Houdini agrees that it still represents Mr. Houdini's final convictions on the subject."

Related:

• What if Houdini didn't die in 1926?
• Houdini planned to return to the UK in 1927
• Houdini exposed mediums MUCH earlier than we thought

SPECTATE brought Houdini to Brisbane in 2017

Here's a Houdini play that flew under my radar back in 2017. SPECTATE ran November 7-18 at the Sue Benner Theatre in Brisbane, Australia, and offered what sounds like a unique experience. Here's a description from Scenestr.com:

'SPECTATE' is a transmedia performance work that frames the audience as witnesses to Harry Houdini’s final tragic show. 

3D printed performers, live video compositing and immersive audio are used to construct a world of contemporary illusion. 

'SPECTATE' is a show about being an audience and using transmedia forms Counterpilot is asking you to play the role of the audience. Wearing a headset throughout the show, you’ll hear a voice inside your head prompting you. You’ll be suspended between layers of reality while Counterpilot challenges you to navigate versions of truth and fiction. 

The work features performances by Hugh Parker, Anna McGahan, Toby Martin, Cam Clark, Elise Greig, Brad Haseman, Lucas Stibbard, Veronica Neave, Lauren Jackson, and potentially the spirit of Houdini himself. Written & directed by Nathan Sibthorpe.

Below is a trailer that gives a sense of the show's avant-garde nature. The company also offered a "live-streaming attempted hi-tech séance" on Halloween that year.

Related:

• Houdini Plays
• Axis Theatre Company shares past Houdinis
• The Grim Game at the Brisbane International Film Festival, October 13

Houdini and the Mandela Effect

The "Mandela Effect" refers to a collective belief in a historical event or fact that actually has no foundation in the truth. Below is a YouTube channel that looks at popular Mandela Effects. In this episode Houdini's drowning death comes in at #1.

The source of this "Mandela" is no mystery. The collective misconception that Houdini died in the Water Torture Cell was born in the 1953 Paramount biopic Houdini starring Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. Two subsequent television biopics, The Great Houdinis (1976) and Houdini (1998), also show the escape playing a role in the magician's death.

But it's not just Hollywood to blame. Many magicians and escape artists when doing their own versions of the escape will advertise it as "the escape that killed Houdini." A recent offender was David Blaine. Even Simon Cowell once spoke this myth on America's Got Talent.

But I've also discovered this misconception doesn't have the hold it once did. Today most people have some idea about the punch, and a Google search can tell anyone the truth. I also find that people under the age of 20 have not really heard this. Back in the 60s, 70s and 80s the Tony Curtis movie was a shown repeatedly on television and that was the way most people learnt about Houdini. But nowadays kids watch YouTube videos...like the Mandela Effect!

Thanks to Lisa Cousins for this one.

NOTE: I've created a new playlist on my YouTube Channel called Linked Videos in which I've collected all the Houdini-related second party videos, such as this one, that I've shared here on WILD ABOUT HARRY.

Related:

• The biggest myth
• Simon says it wrong
• Is David Blaine reviving a Houdini myth?

The scent of Houdini

While working among Houdini's private papers at the Harry Ransom Center, playwright Beth Burns believed she caught a whiff of what Houdini might have smelled like. She described it as: "A nice, clean, woodsy smell—like Old Spice and shaving cream, with a note of coffee."

I'm not sure if that's what this new Houdini Cologne smells like. But as this is the creation of our friend and class act David Haversat, I'm sure it's just as nice. So if you're looking for a gift for the magician in your life, look no further than your nose.

Houdini - Cologne for Men will be available this Christmas and Hanukkah Season for $29.95. For pre-orders please contact houdinicologne@gmail.com.

UPDATE: Click here for details and how to purchase..

Related:

• David Haversat lands Houdini's spirit slates & chair
• LINK: Houdini speaks to the living by Beth Burns

Discover Houdini the Collector at the Harry Ransom Center, Dec. 5

On Thursday, December 5, Eric Colleary, Cline Curator of Theatre & Performing Arts collections at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas in Austin, will give a lecture on "Houdini the Collector". The talk starts at 7 PM and admission is free.

Click to enlarge.

The Harry Ransom Center is located at 300 W 21st St, Austin, TX 78712. For more information visit their official website.

Related:

• Houdini the bibliophile
• Treasures from the Harry Ransom Center revealed
• Houdini's lost breakfront has been found!

Here is that remarkable Houdini mystery footage

Earlier this year our friend Leo Hevia discovered 30 minutes of largely unseen Houdini footage buried in a YouTube video of random magic clips. It was an exciting find! A few weeks ago the clip and channel disappeared. It's still not clear who ran this channel, nor where this footage originated.

But this footage was just too remarkable to let vanish, so I've taken the liberty of uploading four of the most complete and interesting clips to my own YouTube channel. (Hopefully I'm not stepping on any toes by doing this.) I have also embedded the clips below along with a description of what they show. As you can see, the quality is poor, but the content is incredible. Enjoy!

1. Visiting sister Gladys: This appears to be unedited home movies of Houdini visiting his sister Carrie Gladys on a snowy day. After several shots outside of Houdini leaving the house (the footage is not in sequence), we cut inside the house to find Gladys playing the piano as Harry and Bess enter. Gladys then greets Houdini's assistants one by one: Franz Kukol, James Vickery, Jim Collins, and an unidentified assistant. Two more men are greeted by Gladys and Houdini, but I don't know who they are. After everyone leaves, Houdini returns to pick up and kiss a photo of his mother. We then see Houdini hugging and kissing Bess outside in the snow. Incredible.

2. Houdini Coin and Card handling: A real mystery is this one minute of footage showing Houdini doing coin sleights and card manipulations in slow motion. It's tempting to think this is a lost fragment from Velvet Fingers, but Houdini is dressed in a suit instead of a tuxedo, so this appears to be something entirely different. Whatever it is, it's a remarkable minute of film and breathtaking to watch Houdini's hand movements.

3. Monk Table Tie Escape: This footage shows Houdini doing an escape on the set of Haldane of the Secret Service. But this is not from the movie itself. The scenario here appears to be that he's being challenged by monks (played by actors and his assistants). This footage has appeared in documentaries, but it always cuts off as Houdini is being tied. Here the footage is complete and uncut, showing the full escape and Houdini being raised up on the shoulders of the ecstatic monks.

4. The Man From Beyond cliff stunt: While maybe not as spectacular as the above clips, this is every bit as interesting. This shows Houdini filming his cliff fight and his stunt of hanging off the edge. Shot from a distance, we can see the cameraman and also the geography of the stunt, showing Houdini was not as high off the ground as it appears in the movie. A rare piece of behind the scenes.

Also part of the original clip was the first few minutes of Houdini's 1909 movie, Les merveilleux exploits de Houdini à Paris. But this is something I'm going to save for a later time as part of a larger restoration project.

Related:

• Mysterious Houdini footage now mysteriously gone
• Holy smokes! Thirty minutes of largely unseen Houdini film surfaces
• The Houdini card manipulation movie mystery deepens

Barcelona's Museum of Chocolate holds Houdini

It's official. You can find Houdini anywhere. He's even hanging around the Museu de la Xocolata (Museum of Chocolate) in Barcelona, Spain. The image used here is from a French Mastery Mystery poster (released 101 years ago today). And, yes, this is made of pure chocolate!

Houdini is even featured on the museum tickets (below). Also chocolate bars. Delicious.

Thanks to Ted Costas for this sweet treat.

Related:

• Herring Houdini
• Surprise! It's a Houdini cake.
• Houdini exhibition opens in Madrid

Houdini is a Historical Hottie

Here's a fun one. This podcast by sisters Whitney and Lindsey Nelsen assess the overall "hotness" of historical figures. In this episode they rank Houdini and magician Dell O'Dell. I especially enjoyed their discussion of Houdini's physical attractiveness (4.5 out of 5) starting around the 40 minute mark. Enjoy.



For show notes and more episodes visit the Historical Hotties website.

Related:

• LINK: Magician Harry Houdini -- Hot or Not?
• VIZ names Houdini the "Hunkiest Harry"

My first look at the real Houdini

Today marks my 44th Houdini birthday. It was on this day in 1975 that I saw the Tony Curtis Houdini biopic for the first time. That lit a flame of curiosity that has never been extinguished. But the truth is I did not immediately rush out and buy a book about Houdini. My great passion at that time was Universal Monsters, and I was not yet ready to set Frankenstein aside for a life of magic.

But then a few weeks later, I opened the TV Guide, always hoping to find a listing for a Universal Monster movie, and saw this:

This is an ad for Doug Henning's first World of Magic television special, a historical event in itself. But it was not the show I was interested in. I didn't know who this hippie magician was and I didn't care. All I saw was the image behind him. Houdini. The real Houdini. It was my first look at the actual man and this image electrified me!

You can see this ad has small holes in it. That's because I pinned it to my bedroom wall and would stand gazing at it, searching it intently. This somehow made Houdini real and tangible. He also seemed to be looking right at me, inviting me to investigate the mystery of his life. I can still feel that coming off this image. If the Tony Curtis movie was my indoctrination, this was my awakening. And after I watched the Henning special, I was a goner!

If you had an "awakening" moment, please feel free to share in the comments below.

Related:

• November 16, 1975
• TWO LEGENDS
• David Blaine's Beautiful Struggle started with Houdini

"Houdini & Hardeen" is back online

Great news from the Houdini blogosphere. Jack Coray's Houdini & Hardeen is back! Here's how Jack explained it in his return post:

Click to enlarge.

Houdini & Hardeen has already clocked some impressive posts, including this post with a pic of Hardeen and Dr. A.M. Wilson that I've never seen. Jack is also promising to review every issue of Houdini's Conjurers Monthly Magazine; a great idea!

So revisit or visit for the first time Houdini & Hardeen, because one can never get enough of The Brothers Houdini!

https://houdiniandhardeen.home.blog

Related:

• Houdini's early days online
• Houdini vs. Hardeen in Oakland
• REVIEW: A Houdini book for everyone

Sneak Peek: The Brave Harry Houdini

Here's a preview of an episode of Xavier Riddle and The Secret Museum that features a young Houdini. The series airs on PBS Kids.

A companion book to this episode will be released in April and can be pre-ordered on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Related:

• Prince of the Air: A Story of Young Houdini
• A Spotlight For Harry shines with new cover
• Jack Hoeffler remembers the "Prince of the Air"

Mysterious Houdini footage now mysteriously gone

At the beginning of this year, thirty remarkable minutes of largely unseen Houdini footage appeared on a YouTube channel run by someone called "Sleight of Direction". The clip was titled "Various TV Magic Clips from the US - 1970s to before." The video description didn't even mention Houdini, and when I asked about this, I received an odd reply to my comment:

"Yeah, I noticed that when the video was first uploaded. But the majority of my viewers are exclusive fans of sawings/slicings/zig zags/twister/compressors/selbits illusions, so didn't think it'll be of any interest. However, it's good to know fans of other illusions exist."

It now appears this channel and video are gone. I can't say I'm surprised. There was something strange about this user, and I'm wondering if any of this footage was ever theirs to share. (I continue to think these clips may have somehow come from the late Bill McIlhany's collection.)

While the quality was poor, the footage was amazing! (I've detailed it in the original post.) I did save the footage and can upload it to my own YouTube channel and re-link it. But I don't want to step on any toes.

If anyone knows the story behind this, please email me. Thanks.

UPDATE: I decided to go for it and upload select clips to my own YouTube channel and have embedded those clips HERE. Enjoy.

Related:

• Holy smokes! Thirty minutes of largely unseen Houdini film surfaces
• Magicana acquires the McIlhany film archive

Once Upon A Time in Laurel Canyon

I really enjoyed the new Quentin Tarantino film Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. Not only because I'm a Tarantino fan, but it depicts a bygone Hollywood that I clearly remember. And now friends have alerted me to a Houdini connection to the film. If you buy the exclusive LP soundtrack, it includes a map of 1969 Hollywood. And if you look closely on that map, you'll see the "Houdini Mansion" among the historic Manson-era haunts.

This is a reference to what is today the restored and privately owned Houdini Estate, a popular site for weddings and film shoots. But back in the 1960s and '70s it was a burnt-out abandoned ruin that everyone called the "Houdini Mansion". This was a haven for hippies and all kinds of characters to flop, including one man who called himself Robin Hood and would shoot arrows at people. And, of course, it was said to be haunted!

The remains of the house and gardens with overgrown stairways and stone arches where open and visible to motorists driving through Laurel Canyon, so the "Houdini Mansion" was a well-known and somewhat mysterious Los Angeles landmark. No surprise to see it on this map as part of the Hollywood Tarantino so lovingly recreated in his movie. [For the truth of Houdini's connection to the property check out my related links.]

No, this photo isn't from the movie, and that's not Brad Pitt! This is me in 1977 at the "Houdini Mansion" showing off a freshly pilfered brick. And look at that cool Magic Castle t-shirt.

The Once Upon A Time in Hollywood exclusive soundtrack LP is available in independent record stores and in a limited quality on Amazon.com.

Thanks to fellow Tarantino fans Matt Bradford and Michael Curran for this one.

Related:

• The true story of the Laurel Canyon Houdini Estate
• Mannix at the Houdini estate in 1968
• A new addition to The Houdini Estate

LINK: Harry Houdini made history right here in Kansas City

The Martin City Telegraph has a very well researched article by Diane Euston about Houdini's history in Kansas City. KC was important stop on Houdini's tour, and has the distinction of being the first city to witnesses his suspended straitjacket escape on September 8, 1915. The article includes what's credited as a photo of that very escape (right). Diane also recounts a 1907 underwater escape at the Kansas City Athletic Club that's entirely new to me!

So click the headline and have a read at the Martin City Telegraph.

Related:

• To Gladys from Bess Houdini
• Evidence of Houdini's first suspended straitjacket escape 

In 1919 Houdini was tied to a cannon for veterans (twice)

In England in 1911 Houdini accepted a challenge in which he was tied to the mouth of a cannon with a lit fuse. While no photos of this escape have ever surfaced, the cannon challenge is iconic enough to have been depicted in two Houdini biopics. Most biographies record this as being the only time Houdini ever did this stunt. But I recently discovered that he repeated the cannon challenge in Los Angeles in 1919...twice!

The first occurred on April 26, 1919, just a few days after Houdini arrived in the city to begin work on The Grim Game. Houdini was part of a troupe of Famous Players-Lasky artists who gave a charity performance at the "Victory ship" in downtown's Pershing Square. This was part of a nationwide effort to raise funds for The Victory Liberty Loan, a drive to help returning soldiers from World War I. Below is an ad for the campaign.

This ad is pretty wild and emblematic of the drive. The Liberty Loan was an aggressive campaign that was not above shaming people into donating. Newspapers actually printed the names of wealthy or prominent citizens who had not contributed as "Liberty Loan Slackers" (a "slacker" was a draft dodger). But this particular ad is notable on that it mentions the Lasky Stars and advertises Houdini's escape:

Below are details of the upcoming escape as reported in the Los Angeles Herald on April 25, 1919:

What exactly was the Victory ship? Try as I might, I could not find any photos of it. But from a later newspaper account about its dismantling, I'm assuming it was a temporary stage set up in Pershing Square made to resemble a battleship perhaps?

A few weeks later, the Lasky stars were back at the Victory ship, including Houdini's future Terror Island co-star Lila Lee. Houdini repeated his cannon challenge, as reported in the May 10, 1919 Los Angeles Herald:

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any photos or news accounts of how either challenge played out. Presumably he made it! But many stars performed at the Victory ship, including Charlie Chaplin, and I could find no account of what they did either. I believe it would have been considered bad form to use a charity event to promote oneself. This was about veterans, and even Houdini was restrained. But that leaves us to only guess what this escape looked like.

At the top of this post is an illustration of Houdini tied to a cannon which is the only depiction of the challenge I've ever seen. (This comes from The Original Houdini Scrapbook by Walter B. Gibson.) The illustration appears to be based on the 1911 escape, which is well described. But this could also have been how he was restrained in 1919. Unless...

Below is a photo of Houdini tied to the wheel of a cannon. Could this have been taken at the Victory ship? This is Houdini in 1919, and the cannon he is roped to is clearly a piece of World War I ordinance. While this isn't how the challenge was advertised, the cannon may have been too large for him to be tied to the mouth, so maybe this is how he actually did the escape? Or this photo was taken after the fact. The edifice behind him does appear to be some sort of temporary structure which could be the Victory ship.

When I first uncovered these two challenges, I had hoped to do what I did for his 1915 suspended straitjacket and his 1923 Ambassador Pool escape. But I came up short in my research. So I'm offering up what I have in the hopes it will unlock more info. But at least we now know that it happened. Houdini was tied to a cannon in Los Angeles' Pershing Square in 1919...twice!

Site of Houdini's escape today.

Honoring all who have served on this Veterans Day.

UPDATE: Turns out an account of this escape (one of them, at least) appears in The Grim Game pressbook. Thanks to Joe Notaro.

UPDATE 2: Our great friend Bill Mullins has come through with a photo of the Victory Ship! As suspected, it's a stage made to look like a ship. This is from the May 3, 1919 Los Angeles Times.

Click to enlarge.

Related:

• Houdini mystery poster depicts the cannon challenge
• Houdini arrives in Los Angeles
• A gathering at Famous Players-Lasky

Mystifier, First Quarter 2000

Continuing my issue by issue look back at the Mystifier, the newsletter of the Houdini Historical Center that ran from 1991-2003.

The Mystifier enters the 21st century with an excellent article by curator Kimberly Louagie highlighting items from the Tom Boldt collection. Specifically featured are reports written by Rose Mackenberg for Houdini about her visits to bogus mediums. One such report is reproduced in full. Unlike Louagie's previous Mystifier efforts which seemed aimed at the layperson, there's a lot here for the hardcore Houdini buff.

The newsletter continues with news of new posters at the museum shop created by BVK/MacDonald. Among the listing of new members is Jim Bentley. We then get a real treat; a reproduction of an article by Tom Richard's about Dong Henning's visit to Appleton in 1986. Doug and Debby Henning performed Metamorphosis in Houdini Plaza.

In "Backstage" Sid Radner reports on the success of the HHC website, which clocked 18,165 visitors in the first three months of the new year. He shares news of recent interviews held at the HHC for the History Channel and Discovery. He then reports on the upcoming Houdini Museum adjacent to Houdini's Magic Shop at at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. "Plan are running a little behind schedule, but I am hoping for a May opening," says Sid.

Sid then continues the saga of Donald Fergason, who despite a court order continued to represent himself as Houdini family member and again found himself before a judge. "All very interesting and I will keep you posted with any further developments on the case," says Sid. [I believe I encountered this character still working his con at the Houdini Walk of Fame Star ceremony in 2008.]

The newsletter closes with a photo of curator Kimberly Louagie standing with Houdini's full body punishment suit, a gift to the HHC from Sid Radner.

Mystifier

Volume 10, Number 1

First Quarter, 2000

6 pages

Contents:

The Boldt Collection
New Members
Museum Shop News
Doug Henning's Appleton Visit

Backstage with Sid Radner

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Related:

• A Rose by many names
• Houdini Plaza turns 30
• Las Vegas Houdini museum closed

The Phantom Files: Houdini's Curse

Buried in all the Halloween action this year was the release of this bit of Houdini fiction, The Phantom Files: Houdini's Curse by William B. Wolfe.

The Greatest Escape Artist of All Time is Trapped. 

And he thinks I have the key... 

After our adventure with Mark Twain, I'd hoped Bones and I were out of the ghost hunting business for good. 

But a crafty magician has other plans. Houdini himself is stuck between worlds, and Bones can't wait to help him. 

When the mysterious Reaper666 is added to our crew and we come up against a powerful vengeful spirit, it's not just Houdini's afterlife on the line. 

We better have some fantastic tricks up our sleeves, or we're going to all end up imprisoned with Houdini. 

Or worse.

Purchase The Phantom Files: Houdini's Curse at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. [Amazon links earn a commission and support Wild About Harry.]

Related:

• Young Houdini The Demon Curse U.S. paperback released
• Margery's Curse

The Fens - Xmas in November (Official Video)

Here's a video for "Xmas in November" by The Fens. What does this have to do with Houdini? Plenty, and it's pretty historic. But why don't you watch the video and see if you can figure it out for yourself. I will be back tomorrow to share the answer.

Formed in 2004 in Boston, The Fens is songwriting duo Roman Williams & Matt Nakoa with heavy-hitting rhythm section Jesse Magnuson (drums) & Jamila Weaver (bass). You can buy "Xmas in November" as a single on Amazon.com.

UPDATE: As promised, here's the answer. This was shot inside Houdini's home in New York City (278). This is the first thing to ever be shot commercially inside the house to my knowledge. In the video you catch glimpses of the front parlor, back library (fireplace), and the foyer. In the image below pianist Matt Nakoa is sitting precisely where Houdini's took his famous ectoplasm photo. This also affords us our first real look at the beautiful restoration. Look at that floor!

By the way, yesterday after I put up this post, I clicked over to the video on YouTube to see if there had been a bump in views. Check out the number that greeted me:

Related:

• Musicians remain wild about Harry
• Houdini's 278 is coming back to life
• Inside Houdini's 278