Wednesday, March 2, 2022

Houdini hangs in Omaha

Recently I was excited to confirm Houdini's 1923 appearance and suspended straitjacket escape in Omaha, Nebraska. The clipping below from the Omaha Daily News isn't much, but it gets the job done!

The Omaha Daily News, Sept. 5, 1923.

I don't know of any photos or film of this escape, but according to this clipping it was performed at the intersection of 15th and Farnam streets. Today there exists a set of historic buildings at this site which are earmarked for redevelopment. Could one of these be the building?


This week Houdini was appearing at the Orpheum (formally the Creighton Theatre) located at 409 South 16th Street. The theater was demolished in 1926 and a new Orpheum was built on the site which still stands today.

The original Orpheum/Creighton Theatre.
The Omaha Morning Bee, Sept. 3, 1923.

For the record, Houdini played Omaha in 1899, 1900, 1915, and this final engagement in 1923.


UPDATE: The great Bill Mullins has come through again and located images of Houdini's escape. Houdini did the escape from the Omaha World Herald building which is not one of the standing structures we see today. That building stood across the street and is long gone. Thanks Bill!

Omaha World Herald, Sept. 5, 1923

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1 comment:

  1. Leo HeviaMarch 2, 2022 at 9:34 AM

    Great stuff! I like the "In Person" under Houdini's name in the newspaper ad. It's a good idea to put it in there after a stint in the movies.

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