Saturday, August 14, 2021

The "Houdini Shrine" has been found (kinda)

One of the great lost Houdini artifacts is the so called "Houdini Shrine" that belonged to Bess Houdini and featured as a centerpiece of the Final Houdini Seance of 1936. The shrine can also be seen in the movie Religious Racketeers and several photos of Bess in her later years. But after Bess's death in 1943, the shrine vanished without a trace.

Well, I'm happy to report that the "Houdini Shrine" is now part of my collection! Okay, so it's not the Houdini Shrine. It's a reproduction created by Manny Weltman for the 50th anniversary recreation of the Final Houdini Seance held at the Variety Arts Center in Los Angeles on Halloween 1986. For that occasion Gerrie Larsen played Bess and Stefan Krayk played Edward Saint. (You can read more about that seance HERE.)

How I came across this is a story I will share another time. For now, I just wanted to share this particular "Houdini Shrine" as it was also somewhat lost to time. Gives one hope that maybe one day the original might surface!

The Houdini Shrine on the seance table in 1986.
The 1986 Houdini Shrine today.

Thanks to Joe Fox.

UPDATE: Bill Schulert has shared this photo from the Jon Oliver collection. Is this Bess's original Houdini Shrine?

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11 comments:

  1. Leo HeviaAugust 14, 2021 at 10:00 AM

    Good show John! You are preserving Houdini history. Do you have a list of the lost great Houdini artifacts? What would they be?

    1. The original Margery Box.
    2. The Tatler Cuffs.
    3. The original Houdini Shrine.
    4. Milk Cans?
    5. The Voisin plane

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. John CoxAugust 14, 2021 at 2:11 PM

      I've often thought that would make a good post, and these are great candidates.

      Delete
  2. Tom and JohanAugust 14, 2021 at 11:26 AM

    Well done, John! (Love that photo of Bess; always such a sense of style and elegance.)

    ReplyDelete
  3. DAVID SALTMANAugust 14, 2021 at 1:44 PM

    Was the Russian jeweled cup/ladle part of the shrine?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. John CoxAugust 14, 2021 at 2:12 PM

      I don't believe so. And that survives....somewhere. I know it sold at auction.

      Delete
  4. Leo HeviaAugust 14, 2021 at 8:23 PM

    It was commented on Facebook that the original shrine is currently at the Houdini museum in Budapest.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. John CoxAugust 14, 2021 at 9:34 PM

      "Went to the original Houdini museum in Budapest."

      I thought that guy was just saying HE went to the museum in Budapest. But maybe he meant the shrine?

      I'm pretty sure if David had somehow found the shrine I would have heard all about it. If he has one there, it's probably a reproduction of some kind.

      Delete
    2. Leo HeviaAugust 15, 2021 at 5:15 AM

      Okay, it was a vague post and can be interpreted either way until he clarifies it. I thought the Hinson family eventually got what was left of Bess's core HH collection. The items she had kept with her to the very end.

      Delete
  5. Barry SpectorAugust 15, 2021 at 12:15 PM

    Looks like a good project!

    ReplyDelete

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