Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson investigate the death of Houdini in this well-researched audio play by Scott McQuaid and Pop Up Theater. I really enjoyed how much Houdini's history is woven into this and, of course, the title! We even get an appearance by Howard Thurston. Enjoy.
Seeing mention of Sherlock Holmes reminds me of a tangent that seems worthwhile: correcting the record about who made the "Jesus Christ, Sherlock Holmes, and Houdini" quip. Since the coffee table books of the mid 70s, the quote has been attributed over and over, without citation, to George Bernard Shaw. My most recent sighting of it was in Joshua Jay's _How Magicians Think_. I do not believe George Bernard Shaw said this, though I'd be happy for someone to prove me wrong.
ReplyDeleteIn the late 90s, I sat in the stacks at Sterling Memorial Library and scoured the complete works of George Bernard Shaw. Exhaustive indexes and helpful concordances yielded no hint that G. B. Shaw was even aware of Houdini, much less that he has commented on him. (And if there's any hint that GBS was Sherlockian enough to mention the world's most illustrious fictional consulting detective, I didn't find it.) Indeed, the idea that G. B. Shaw would yoke those three together and rank their fame in a tier seems entirely off brand.
You know who *would* definitely have had Sherlock at the top of his mind, and might also have cared enough about pop culture to comment on Houdini in this way? John Bennett Shaw (1913-1994), the celebrated Sherlock Holmes enthusiast, Baker Street Irregular, and collector of Sherlockiana. Obviously he would know of Houdini, and it's not hard to imagine that "John Bennett Shaw said..." evolved into "Shaw said..." and then into "George Bernard Shaw said...." But I haven't found proof, and oral transmission may have left no trace.
Credit where credit's due, I say. Does anyone have evidence that GBS *did* make this comment (or any comment) about Houdini or Sherlock Holmes? Has anyone traced it back to my preferred candidate, John Bennett Shaw?
I like your candidate! As you know (because it says you initiated it), Quote Investigator did a piece on this in 2017. https://quoteinvestigator.com/2017/01/27/fame/#google_vignette
DeleteYes, this has irked me for decades. I won't die on this hill, but I'll fight for a while before retreating. :)
DeleteWhat's the famous comment?
ReplyDeleteThat the 3 most famous names in history are Jesus Christ, Sherlock Holmes, and Harry Houdini.
DeleteThanks!
DeleteGold's _Carter Beats the Devil_ puts it this way in fiction: "Gentlemen, George Bernard Shaw said that the three most famous men in the history of the world are Jesus Christ, Sherlock Holmes, and Houdini" and ascribes the quip to Houdini.
ReplyDeleteMichael Mangan's _Performing Dark Arts: A Cultural History of Conjuring_ has "George Bernard Shaw is reputed to have said that the two most famous men in the world after Jesus Christ were Houdini and Sherlock Holmes." His footnote 407 says more, but I don't have the book so I don't know what he cites.
Jay's _How Magicians Think_ has "It's been said that George Bernard Shaw proclaimed the three most famous men in the history of the world to be Jesus Christ, Sherlock Holmes, and Harry Houdini."
David Kaufman's _Jewhooing the Sixties_ gives "Houdini... garnered so much public attention in the first two decades of the century that George Bernard Shaw would wryly rank him with Jesus Christ and Sherlock Holmes as one of the three most famous figures in history."
So there are variations and paraphrases.
It's also the first line of the dust jacket flyleaf in Silverman!
Delete"George Bernard Shaw ranked him with Jesus Christ and Sherlock Holmes as one of the three most famous figures in history."
Oh thanks for pointing that out!
Delete