Harry (and Banjoe!) on the Highwire

Today sees the U.S. release of Harry and the Highwire: Houdini's First Amazing Act by Julie Carpenter with illustrations by Laura Catalan. The fold-out book is published by Green Bean Books and is a delightful and well-done Houdini book for children.

As a young boy of seven, Harry is desperate to do something incredible – but what? A visit to the circus provides the answer when he sees the daring tightrope walker thrilling the audience. From that moment on, all Harry wants to do is to walk the tightrope. But how?

His first try, on the family clothesline, ends in disaster but Harry’s not about to give up yet. He starts practising in his every spare moment and in every location he can think of. Will he get to the other side or will he fall? (And will his pet chicken Banjoe be able to keep up?)

One thing I really like about Harry and the Highwire is the inclusion of Harry's trained Bantam chicken Banjoe, who appears on every page. Banjoe was real. Bruce MacNab, author of The Metamorphosis: The Apprenticeship of Harry Houdini, discovered Banjoe's existence in a letter at the Harry Ransom Center.

You can purchase Harry and the Highwire at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk.

Want more? I've shared the full Banjoe letter and a photo of my own Banjoe on my Patreon below.

Related:

• Houdini's pets
• Jack Hoeffler remembers the "Prince of the Air"
• Review: Bruce MacNab mines Houdini gold in the Maritimes

🎶 Dunninger, Hoo-dee-nee, and Doug! 🎶

This week marks the 50th anniversary of The Magic Show, which opened at the Cort Theater on May 28, 1974. The Broadway musical launched the career of Doug Henning and opened the door on the next Golden Age of Magic. Doug's style was modern and up-to-the-minute, but he always honored the past, especially Houdini. The play even uses Houdini's name in its opening number, Up To His Old Tricks by Stephen Schwartz (lyrics below). So, yeah, we love Doug!

Hey, can't you just feel the strange excitement
The quiet commotion that we share
There's something like tingling in the darkness
There's something electric in the air
'Cause there's one thing I know turns a man of sixty
Back into a child of six:
Watching Dunninger, Houdini
Or Doug—the magic man
Up to his old tricks

You go spend an evening at the movies
And smile at the shadows on the screen
You turn on a radio or record
And dance to a voice you've never seen
But thеy don't make you gasp like a silly schoolboy
Or giggle likе a bunch of hicks
Not like Dunninger, Houdini
Or Doug—the magic man
Up to his old tricks

Clap clap
Pop up the dusty flowers
Hooray, hoorah
Break out the bowl of goldfish and the scarves
Ooh…ahhh
Saw the beautiful lady in half again…

Wasn't that illusion fun?
Not if you know how it's done

It may not be the world's most esteemed profession
But if sure beats law or politics
So here's to Dunninger, Houdini
And Doug—our magic man
Up to his old tricks

For all things Doug, check out The Doug Hennig Project by our friend Neil McNally.

Related:

• Doug Henning marks Houdini's 100th
• "Houdini must have been crazy to do this."
• My first look at the real Houdini

The Inner Me rocks Houdini

This morning's big music news is that Eminem will release a new single called "Houdini" this Friday. You may recall that Dua Lipa released her own "Houdini" single last year. While many musicians have released songs inspired by Houdini, Austrian Metal band THE INNER ME has released an entire album! You can listen to Rosabelle Believe on YouTube.

Learn more about The Inner Me at the band's official website www.theinnerme.at.

Thanks to David Stawa.

Related:

• Kate's Bess
• Dua Lipa unlocks 'Houdini'
• Foster The People release video for 'Houdini'

LINK: Happy National Vaudeville Day!

The great Trav S.D. is taking it upon himself to declare today, Tony Pastor's birthday, "National Vaudeville Day," and I'm on board! To really understand Houdini's career, one needs to understand the art and history of Vaudeville. So click over to Trav S.D.'s terrific blog Travelanche and explore his links related to Vaudeville.

You might also want to pick up his book, No Applause--Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous.

Related:

• A week at Tony Pastor's
• The girl who beat Houdini
• Harry Ransom Center presents Vaudeville!

The Water Torture Cell captured in 1913

Here's an interesting illustration from the Sporting Life, February 28, 1913, when Houdini was performing the Water Torture Cell at the Finsbury Park Empire in London.

 The artist is very likely drawing from what he saw firsthand. Check out the unusual configuration of the "band of steel" (as Houdini called them) on the cell. It appears that care is being taken to allow the audience to see Houdini's head when inside the cell; hence, the lower section is left open. First time I've seen this.

I also can't help but see a mustache on Houdini in this illustration, but I'm sure that's just a shadow. I've always thought it surprising that Houdini never even experimented with a mustache and remained clean-shaven his entire life. Mustaches were very fashionable at this time, as the historical footage below can attest.

Want more? You can see Houdini's original illustration and notes for the Water Torture cell from the collection of David Haversat as a member of my Patreon below.

Related:

• Was Houdini's caged Water Torture Cell a reality?
• Revenge of the beach boy
• Whoa! Was there a Water Torture Cell movie?

Houdini's grave is in trouble

There is an alarming situation unfolding at the Houdini gravesite. A crack in the exedra, which appeared a few years ago, is expanding. A large chunk has recently fallen off the back. The danger of cracks like this is water can get inside and freeze during winter, causing the cracks to enlarge. There is a very real danger that if left untreated, a large section of the exedra will break off. The photos below were taken by our friend Perry Reed a few weeks ago and should chill us all.

The good news is Dorothy Dietrich, owner of the Houdini Museum in Scranton, is now Chairman of the S.A.M. Houdini Gravesite Committee and is well aware of the situation. Dorothy, along with Dick Brookz, famously restored the Houdini bust and the headstones of Gladys and Leopold, so she has been a loving and proactive caretaker of Houdini's grave. Dorothy is working with the co-chairman Joe Devlin on a solution.

Cracks like these can be repaired, and the S.A.M. does have a Houdini Gravesite Fund they can draw from to help. But, as Dorothy points out, the repairs need to be done during the dry summer months—so that means now. Another winter will increase the danger of the exedra breaking, and fixing that might not be so easy.

You can help by making a contribution to the Houdini Gravesite Fund. Or you can contact Dorothy Dietrich directly at the Houdini Museum. Houdini always looked after the graves of fellow magicians, so it's time to do the same for him.

Related:

• The Houdini-Weiss exedra turns 100
• Houdini bust magically reappears at his grave site
• Gladys and Leopold headstones return to Machpelah

Deconstructing Houdini '53: Genie in a Bottle

Continuing my scene-by-scene dissection of the 1953 biopic HOUDINI starring Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. Last time, Houdini defended himself in court. Now, he completes a strange pilgrimage.

Chapter 15: Genie in a Bottle

Read on Patreon

Related:

• Wiljalba Frikell's final note
• When Franz kept the faith
• Houdini spills the inspiration for his "Chinese" Water Torture Cell

Just Wild About Harry: Houdini in Detroit, May 28

The Dearborn Heights City Libraries presents "Just Wild About Harry: Houdini in Detroit" on Tuesday, May 28, at the Caroline Kennedy Library from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Details below.

Harry Houdini played Detroit 19 times between 1894 and 1926. Local audiences witnessed nearly all of his increasingly dangerous signature tricks first hand, and saw his star rise from the bottom of show bills to very top. Tour Houdini’s Detroit and discover the macabre link between the city and history’s most famous magician.” It is led by Jeremy Dimick, Director of Collections and Curatorial at Detroit Historical Society.

For more information visit the EVENT PAGE at Dearborn Heights City Libraries.

Related:

• Houdini's Detroit today
• Michigan History is wild about Houdini in Detroit
• Go inside Houdini's abandoned funeral home

Did Houdini escape from Scrubs?

This photo sold over the weekend in Haversat & Ewing Galleries Auction #45 for $354. The auction description says it came from the Houdini family in the 1990s. On it, we see a notion in Houdini's hand reading: "Wormwood Scrubs Jail entrance London."

Still in operation today, Wormwood Scrubs is located in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Houdini did perform at the Hammersmith Palace the week of October 31, 1910. So could this mean he did a jailbreak from Scrubs that week?

I have no record of a jailbreak at this time, and 1910 is a little late for such an escape. Houdini was well into bridge jumps as his preferred outdoor stunt. Scrubs is also not listed among the jails that David De-Val escaped from. De-Val is said to have escaped from all the surviving jails that Houdini escaped from in the UK.

It's still possible Houdini did a jailbreak from Scrubs that was not widely reported. Or maybe the old jailbreaker just found this an impressive-looking building, as it still is today!

Congrats on the winner of this intriguing rarity. And thank you to our friends at Haversat & Ewing for being regular advertisers. Click the image below to see the prices realized on their latest auction.

Related:

• David De-Val reveals 'The Real Secret' of Houdini's cell escapes
• Houdini in Blackpool's new "Showtown" museum
• Did Houdini do a jail escape in 1923? (UPDATE)

See 'From Russia With Love' in a Houdini theater

Some of you may know that James Bond is another passion (and blog) of mine. But 007 and Houdini rarely intersect. Until now!

On June 15, the Bond classic From Russia With Love (1963) will screen in 35mm at the Palace Theater in downtown Los Angeles. Of course, the Palace was originally the Orphuem where Houdini himself appeared in 1915 and 1923. The screening will be followed by a Q&A about the historic theater.

So this is a Bond and Houdini doubleheader and a rare opportunity to go inside the Palace/Orpheum. You can get more details and buy tickets at the Los Angeles Conservatory website.

By the way, when I toured the theater last month, I spotted James Bond posters on the walls of a work area. So, yeah, this place is haunted by both escape artists.

Related:

• LINK: Harry Houdini May Have Been the Real James Bond
• Inside Houdini's Los Angeles Orpheum
• List of surviving Houdini theaters

Houdini gives Lila Lee a thrill

It's a shame none of the actors who worked with Houdini in his movies were ever properly interviewed (to my knowledge). Many of these actors lived long lives. A good case in point is Lila Lee, Houdini's co-star in Terror Island, who died in 1973. One wonders if biographers like Milbourne Christopher ever attempted to track her down. So much could have been learned.

Today the best we have is something like the below. Here Lila Lee remembers an incident on the Terror Island shoot as her "biggest thrill."

Morning World Herald, Nov. 19, 1922.

Terror Island's underwater action was filmed at the La Elliotta Springs Plunge in Riverside, California in November 1919. It seems incredible that Lila would actually be in the safe underwater. In the existing film, it's unclear if it's the actress, a stuntman, or even a dummy that Houdini pulls from the safe. So maybe this is just the work of a publicist. Again, if only we could have asked her!

Related:

• Houdini's leading ladies: Lila Lee
• Juvenile star and a Yankee inventor
• Terror at the Hot Springs

Houdini miniature figure by Marco Navas

Spanish artist Marco Navas, The Miniaturist, has created this handmade figure of Houdini in high-quality resin. It measures 7.5 centimeters (1/24 scale) and is a limited edition. It can be purchased at Marco Navas Studio.

Thanks to Doug King for the alert.

Related:

• Houdini the action figure!
• A Houdini doll for your nightmares
• Houdini (and friend) in paper mache

The Linguini Incident Director's Cut screening in San Fransisco

A new Director's Cut of the 1991 film The Linguini Incident will screen at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco on May 23, 2024. There will be a Q&A with director Richard Shepard after the screening.

The Linguini Incident stars Rosanna Arquette as an aspiring magician and escape artist who collects Houdini artifacts and comes into possession of "Madame Houdini's" wedding ring. While waiting for her big break, she works as a waitress at a trendy Manhattan restaurant run by co-star David Bowie. 

The film is loaded with Houdini references and escapes. In some territories, it was titled Houdini & Company.

You can get more information and buy tickets at the Roxie website.

Related:

• David Bowie's Houdini incident
• The Linguini Incident reappears
• Houdini lives in Anaheim!

Magic Collector Expo 2024 aboard the Queen Mary

Last week, I attended the Magic Collector Expo aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach. What a sensational time I had! Bill Smith once again provided a first-class convention with excellent talks and terrific magic. It was great to see so many friends and the Queen Mary is always a delight to experience.

One highlight for me was spending some quality time with Bill Kalush—a Houdini heavyweight indeed! Also in the ring were Houdini Nuts: Arthur Moses, Joe Notaro, Fred Pittella, Joe Fox, Brian Verkuylen, Mike Strong, and Diego Domingo. I also made a new friend in Chris Goldman who has some wonderful Houdini rarities that he shared with me.

On Thursday, I gave a talk, "Houdini on the High Seas," in which I examined Houdini's ocean voyages and the various ships he sailed on. I covered every journey from the SS Frisia, which the Weiss family took to America in 1878, to Houdini's final crossing aboard the SS Imperator in 1920. One of the reasons I was excited to do this talk was it gave me the excuse to do the research. It was fun to finally nail down these ships (13 total) and find some untold stories. I think it went over really well.

At the end of my talk, I revealed the title and cover of the upcoming diary book, Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini, 1897-1899. Mike Caveney and I announced the book at the Magic Collector Expo in Cleveland last year, so I thought this was the perfect time and place to do this. I was pleasantly surprised how many people at the Expo asked me about the book. Michael Albright is still working on the design so we don't yet have a release date, but it will be worth the wait. You can get a look at the cover as a member of my Patreon below.

There was a lot to enjoy over the three days. Lance Rich gave an artful presentation, "Neptune's Sorcerers," all about magicians on cruise ships. David Charvet gave an excellent and well-researched talk on "The Golden Age of Magic in Southern California." It included several Houdini mentions and lots of Bess. I really enjoyed Chris Martin's talk on "John Rogers's The Traveling Magician" statue. It was fascinating to learn its history and why it is so celebrated today. Mike Caveney's Egyptian Hall talk and exhibit was first-rate. It was also a treat to see a reunion of The Long Beach Mystics and enjoy their show as the closing night feature.

For a more complete overview of the expo, I will refer you to Joe Notaro's excellent coverage at his site, Harry Houdini Circumstantial Evidence. Joe had a few outside Houdini adventures (some of which I was part of) so you'll want to enjoy those as well. Scott Wells provided his usual expert daily coverage at The Magic Word Podcast. I had the honor of being interviewed by Scott alongside Lance Burton.

Bill Smith announced that next year's Magic Collector Expo will be held in Las Vegas and will include a tour of David Copperfield's International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts! The number of attendees will be limited and those who attended Long Beach will get priority registration. Keep an eye on the official website.

Here is the list of thanks that I showed at the end of my talk. Thanks again to these folks and everyone who made this an expo to remember!

UPDATE: For my Scholar patrons, I've uploaded a PDF containing select slides from my talk showing all 13 ships I discussed. 

Related:

• Off to the Magic Collector Expo
• The ship(s) from Haldane of the Secret Service
• A five star Magic Collector Expo in Cleveland

Restoring Hardeen

This magnificent Hardeen poster is currently undergoing restoration at the Harry Ransom Center. Eric Colleary, our friend and Cline Curator of Theatre & Performing Arts, posted this image to the Magic Collectors Corner Facebook group along with this plea:

We're working on a major conservation treatment of this Hardeen poster, a variant of a similar Houdini poster that also includes various cuffs and similar hand positions. Does anyone else happen to have a print of this Hardeen poster? And if so, would you be able to share an image for reference? Many thanks in advance!

If you can help Eric, reach out to him via the Harry Ransom Center website or on Facebook.

I've never seen this poster myself, but the image of Hardeen appears to have been drawn from a photo that can be seen in Milbourne Christopher's Houdini's The Untold Story.

Related:

• Treasures of the Harry Ransom Center
• More treasures of the Harry Ransom Center
• Leap Day Dash

Dean Carnegie looks at the enigmatic Edward Saint

Our friend Dean Carnegie devotes the 100th episode of his Magic Detective Podcast to the Houdini Archivist himself, Dr. Edward Saint. As a bonus, Dean includes the entire Final Houdini Seance. Enjoy! 

Ep 100 The Enigmatic Dr. Edward Saint

Also check out Dean's article about Ed on his blog The Magic Detective.

Related:

• Ed Saint's dynamite
• Secret recordings of Edward Saint revealed
• Marie Hinson on Edward Saint: "He was the man who said 'no'."

Off to the Magic Collector Expo

No more posts this week as I'm shipping off to the Magic Collector Expo aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone, hearing some great talks, and giving my own talk about Houdini's ships on Thursday. Hope to see you onboard!

Houdini aboard the SS Imperator in 1913. (Library of Congress)

If you'd like a preview of my talk, click below to see a unique rarity from the Kenneth Trombly Collection on my Patreon.

Related:

• Magic Collector Expo 2024 in Long Beach, CA
• A five star Magic Collector Expo in Cleveland
• Saga of S.S. Imperator

Is the Margery Box still out there?

We are fast approaching the centenary of Houdini's famous seances with Mina Crandon, aka Margery, in Boston. During this high-stakes battle, Houdini built a special box to control the wily medium. He called it the "Margie Box."

Whatever happened to the Margery box? When I asked this question in 2012, Anna Thurlow, Mina Crandon's great-granddaughter, provided this intriguing answer:

"When I went to a Houdini Seance in Las Vegas (I think 1998?) I was told that someone living in Vegas had the box in a storage unit there. I tried the telephone number later but it was disconnected. Presumably, it still exists, and hopefully someone will bring it to light."

Well, it has now been over ten years, and there is still no sign of the Margery Box or any hint of this mysterious Las Vegas owner.  Possibly, whoever talked to Anna was thinking of the overboard box owned by Dixie Dooley. Or if it was an oblique reference to David Copperfield, we know he doesn't have the Margery Box.

I do have my doubts. This was not a working prop, and its significance as a piece of magic history would not have been appreciated at the time of Houdini's death. So I think it would have likely been discarded. If the box ever did reappear, I think we might all be surprised at just how small it is.

But we can still hope! If, by any chance, the mystery owner is reading this, please get in touch. During this centennial year it would be amazing to bring the Margery box back into the light.

Related:

• The Margery Box reappears (sort of)
• Interview with Anna Thurlow
• The Margery Files

Searching for Houdini in Columbus, Texas

This historical marker can be found at the Old Stafford Opera House in Columbus, Texas. It shows Houdini performed at the historic theater. But did he?

Unfortunately, I have no record of Houdini in Columbus, and I have a pretty complete listing of all the stops on his Texas tours of 1916, 1923, and 1924. However, there is still a possibility that he appeared at the Stafford due to a certain peculiarity of these tours.

The Texas-based Interstate Amusement Company, the circuit on which Houdini toured, would occasionally send a vaudeville troupe appearing in a major city to a smaller city for a single night's performance. These were mid-week appearances, the theaters would literally swap acts. Houdini appeared in Galveston and Corsicana this way. So could Columbus have been another one of these one-nighters?

I haven't found anything (yet), so I'm throwing this out to other research bloodhounds. If it helps, below are the dates of Houdini's Texas tours.

1916: Jan. 10 to Feb. 13

1923: Oct. 28 to Nov. 25

1924: Oct. 12 to Oct. 19 (spirit lectures)

It sure would be nice to put Harry in Columbus. The theater is a beauty!

Thanks to the Discover Columbus Texas Facebook page for the pics and Richard Hatch for sending me down this rabbit hole.

Related:

• Houdini tours Texas
• Houdini arrives in Galveston (at last)
• 'Houdini Way' appears in Kingsland, Texas

A Magician Among the Spirits turns 100

Today marks the 100th Anniversary of Houdini's last book, A Magician Among the Spirits, published on May 2, 1924, by Harper & Brothers in New York.

Below is a positive review of the book from The Evening Sun.

The Evening Sun, June 28, 1924

And a less positive review from the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 7, 1924

Shortly after publication, Houdini discovered an error in the book. The following appeared in several newspapers.

Hartford Courant, Aug. 10, 1924.

On May 5, Houdini wrote to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle offering to send him a signed copy of the book. If Doyle ever responded, the letter has been lost. But one thing is for sure, the publication of A Magician Among the Spirits marked the end of their famous friendship.

A Magician Among the Spirits has been reprinted several times. The 1972 hardcover from Arno is typically the edition one finds in used bookstores. I've always had affection for this edition.

In 1996, Richard Kaufman and Alan Greenberg published Houdini's original typed manuscript with extensive hand corrections as a limited slipcased edition. It's a beauty and a wonderful tribute to Houdini's last book.

Want more? As a member of my Patreon, you can download a free PDF of A Magician Among the Spirits as this month's reward.

Related:

• LINK: Restoring Houdini's 'Spirits'
• Cambridge Press releases A Magician Among the Spirits
• Original typescript for A Magician Among the Spirits at auction Feb 18