William Kalush talks Houdini, Oct. 24

The great Bill Kalush will give a Houdini presentation as part of The American Museum of Magic's Magic Speaker Series on Thursday, October 24, at 7:00 PM ET. The talk is free for museum members and $15 for non-members. This online event will fill up, so I would act fast. To register, click the image below.

UPDATE: Bill says, "I'll be giving a talk about 3 of Houdini's greatest effects. I promise to reveal some details that are not in the books!"

Related:

• Bill Kalush has been to the mountaintop
• Bill Kalush to receive 2016 Milbourne Christopher Award
• American Museum of Magic restores Houdini display

Spirit Sleuths: How Magicians and Detectives Exposed the Ghost Hoaxes

I'm hearing good things about Spirit Sleuths: How Magicians and Detectives Exposed the Ghost Hoaxes by Gail Jarrow. Aimed at young adult readers, the book contains a generous amount of Houdini content and a wealth of terrific images from the entire history of spiritualism. Here's a description:

The latest from acclaimed author Gail Jarrow reveals how magicians—including Harry Houdini and his team of investigators—exposed fake mediums who exploited the vulnerable and gullible in the early twentieth century.

After millions of people died during World War I and from the 1918 influenza pandemic, the popularity of Spiritualism soared. Desperate to communicate with their dead loved ones, the bereaved fell prey to extortion by fraudulent mediums and fortune-tellers.

But magician Harry Houdini wasn't fooled. He recognized the scammers' methods as no more than conjurer's tricks. Angered by the way people were exploited, Houdini set out to expose the ghost hoaxes. In his stage show, he revealed the fraudsters’ techniques, and he used a team of undercover investigators to collect proof of séance deceptions. His head secret agent was a young New York private detective and disguise expert, Rose Mackenberg—a woman who continued her ghost-busting career for decades, long after Houdini's death in 1926.

Ideal for young readers and adults who are drawn to the worlds of psychics and magicians, this riveting book uncovers a little-known chapter in American history and details the ways people were (and still are) deceived by mediums and fortune-tellers.

You can purchase Spirit Sleuths: How Magicians and Detectives Exposed the Ghost Hoaxes at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Thanks to Arthur Moses.

Related:

• 'Houdini’s Girl Detective' out now
• The secret origins of Houdini the debunker
• Houdini exposed mediums MUCH earlier than we thought

LINK: Hill Harper saves Detroit house where Houdini was embalmed: The tangled backstory

A good article by JC Reindel in the Detroit Free Press about the current efforts to save the building that once housed the funeral parlor where Houdini was embalmed. The property had quite a history, as you can read by clicking the headline above.

Related:

• Funeral home where Houdini was embalmed
• LINK: Detroit funeral home where Houdini was embalmed is neglected
• AUDIO: Jack Gibbons, Houdini's embalmer (Patreon)

Houdini glass negatives collection sells at auction

A remarkable collection of original Houdini glass negatives still contained in their original boxes sold at an auction in Newark, Ohio, last Friday. Apple Tree Auction Center offered the slides in two lots. One lot sold for $12,500 and the other for $8,000.

Along with the unpublished images, what I really love here are the notes on the boxes explaining their contents. I have seen one other box like this in the Copperfield collection. These were labeled and annotated by Houdini himself.

Where did these come from? Our good friend Charles Greene III, author of the acclaimed Ionia and the newly released A Complete History of Friedländer Lithography, broke the news of this sale and shared images on his Magic Poster Gallery Facebook page (which is how I learned about it). Charles offered some additional information not found in the auction listing:

Original Houdini glass negatives were sold today at auction in Ohio. F. Kukol name is on original container. On 13 September 2024, after 100 years, these slides escaped the darkness of their bounds in a safety deposit box and reappeared for all the world to see. The images were taken at different times and at various locations, including Australia, Germany, and United States. Condition varied on each slide, but overall they are in excellent condition considering their fragility. Of the images, some are familiar and can be seen in print. Some of the images have never been seen in print. Are these security deposit box negatives from Houdini's long lost "secret vault" as mentioned by Joe Notaro? Enquiring minds will want to know.

Where they will go after today's sale remains a mystery. But, for how long? After today, depending on who buys them, they may disappear again to rarely be seen. Enjoy these images. After today, they may disappear forev...

I reached out to Apple Tree Auction Center for more details but have yet to hear back.

To my eye, this appears to have been a liquidation sale. I don't think the auction house fully understood what it had here. The lots started at $5! It was a 4-day auction without fanfare that was easy to miss. While the combined price of $20,500 is perfectly respectable, I think these could have gone for more, considering the historical significance of this find. And some of the images are stunners!

Want more? If you'd like to see some of the rarer slides as positives, I've converted a selection of 15 images from the original auction listings and have shared them on my Patreon below.

Thanks to Charles Greene III. 

Related:

• Five original Houdini glass negatives sell on eBay
• More Houdini glass negatives materialize on eBay
• Rare Houdini images from House of Roulx 

American Museum of Magic restores Houdini display

The American Museum of Magic in Marshall, Michigan, has restored its iconic central Houdini display to its once-former glory. The museum had erected a small stage for children's magic shows on the spot and placed Houdini behind that. But now the Handcuff King is back in his proper place, greeting visitors as they enter the museum just as in Bob Lund's day.

The museum shared the above photo on their social media along with this message:

Houdini has returned to the American Museum of Magic! The Museum thanks both Lewey's Shoe Repair for his assistance in making this possible and the Board Members who assisted in this endeavor. Now our Houdini banner has a secret that only museum goers will be able to see!

Speaking of Houdini at the American Museum of Magic, the great William Kalush will be the feature of their next Speaker Series in October. Kalush talking Houdini can't be missed!

For more information and hours, visit the American Museum of Magic's website or Facebook.

Bob Lund in the original Houdini display.

Related:

• American Museum of Magic receives bequest
• American Museum of Magic shares collection online
• REPORT: The Midwest Magic History Weekend 2015

Houdini in South Bend

It's rare these days that I find a suspended straitjacket escape that I didn't already have on my list, but that's precisely what happened last week. A recent upload of the South Bend News-Times online revealed that Houdini hung from the News-Times building in South Bend, Indiana, on January 29, 1924.

South Bend News-Times, Jan. 30, 1924

Why was this so hard to find? I've discovered many newspapers ignored a Houdini stunt if it was performed in conjunction with a rival paper. If that rival paper isn't archived online, it's like it never happened. How many more of these are waiting to be discovered, I wonder?

The News-Times building stood at 210 W. Colfax Avenue. Below is a photo of it as it appeared in Houdini's time. Today, the building is long gone. 

Happily, the South Bend theater where Houdini appeared, The New Palace, survives today as The Morris Performing Arts Center. So we can add to the list of surviving Houdini theaters as well!

Want more? While this was Houdini's first (and last) appearance in South Bend as a headliner, he had performed in the city in his early days. Houdini told the story to a News-Times reporter. It's a charming, untold tale that I'm sharing as a History Exclusive on my Patreon below.

Related:

• List of surviving Houdini theaters
• Houdini's known suspended straitjacket escapes
• Uncovering Houdini's 1915 Los Angeles straitjacket escape (at last!)

Experience 'The Spirits Speakeasy' in New York

Here's one I almost missed! A new immersive Houdini play, The Spirits Speakeasy, opens tonight, September 19, at Sincerely, Ophelia in New York City. It will play through November 3, 2024. Below are details:

The Spirits Speakeasy summons you to step through the secret speakeasy door as a personal guest of the renowned Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Prepare to be enthralled by an evening that seamlessly blends magic with the supernatural—and a dash of bitters.

At the heart of the soirée, witness the enigmatic Margery (played by Krystyn Lambert), a medium whose powers are the talk of the town, as she faces the ultimate challenge—convincing none other than the skeptic Harry Houdini (played by Patrick Terry) of her genuine connection to the world beyond through a series of supernatural tests.

Will she turn Houdini into a believer? Or better yet, you? The talking board says YES.

Guests will be enveloped in an atmosphere reminiscent of the golden age of magic and spiritualism with close-up magic and intimate access to one of the three séances. The Spirits Speakeasy offers a meticulously curated selection of period-specific cocktails, designed to enhance the otherworldly ambiance of the evening.

The evening also features Rori Nogee as Bess, Lee Alan Barrett as Howard Thurston, and Brian Silliman as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This is Patrick Terry's second appearance as Houdini. He first played the magician in the 2017 production Houdini Speaks To The Living.

You can get more information and buy tickets at The Spirits Speakeasy's official website.

Related:

• Houdini Plays
• 100 years ago on Lime Street
• REVIEW: 'Houdini Speaks to the Living' at The Players

Holmes & Houdini: The Curse of Moriarty

The dynamic duo of Holmes & Houdini are back in Holmes & Houdini: The Curse of Moriarty by David Wohl. This is the complete story in a single 48-page graphic novel.

Spencer Holmes and Erica Houdini return for another supernatural case of mayhem. But this time their investigation leads them to Victorian England, where the world’s most famous detective (and Spencer’s ancestor), Sherlock Holmes, was ensnared in a deadly game of his own, against his most malevolent nemesis, Professor James Moriarty. What secrets lie in this dark tale, and what could Moriarty be dabbling in that brings in the famed vampire hunter—Liesel Van Helsing??

Don't miss this centuries-spanning mystery that will change everything we thought we knew about the great detective!

You can purchase Holmes & Houdini: The Curse of Moriarty for the Kindle on Amazon.com. Printed copies can be purchased directly from Zenescope.

Related:

• Meet Holmes & Houdini
• Holmes & Houdini issue 3
• Arthur Moses reprints the first Houdini & Holmes adventure

Houdini hangs at Armoury D.E. in Dallas

This Houdini artwork by Clay Stinnett hangs in the Armoury D.E. in Dallas, Texas. Located in Dallas' historic Deep Ellum District, Armoury D.E. specializes in "eclectic Hungarian comfort foods," including Houdini's favorite Chicken Paprikás, and house cocktails with names like "Satan, Sex & No Regrets" and "Bela Lugosi's Dead." Sounds like my kind of place!

Houdini visited Dallas three times. He played the Majestic Theater(s) in 1916 and 1923. On both occasions, he did a suspended straitjacket escape in the city. In 1924, he returned with his spiritualism lecture, which he gave at the Dallas State Fair.

Dallas Morning News, Jan. 18, 1916.

By the way, I have yet to discover an account of Houdini's second suspended straitjacket escape in Dallas. It's said to have occurred during the week of Oct. 29, 1923, from the 4th floor of the Dallas City Hall on Commerce Street. If someone wants to be a Dallas hero and discover this for me, I'll buy you a cocktail at Armoury D.E.!

Thanks to Ash Adams for the tip and photo.

Related:

• Houdini tours Texas
• Houdini spotted in Avignon
• Merlin McFly's stained glass Houdini window

LINK: A Window on the Past: Harry Houdini’s trip to Portland in 1908

The Portland Press Herald has a piece about Houdini's appearance in Portland, Maine, in June 1908 and his jump from the Portland Bridge (site of the Casco Bay Bridge today). It includes a photo of the jump from the South Portland Historical Society that I've never seen before (right). For a larger version, check out the full article at The Portland Press Herald.

Related:

• Houdini's Bridge Jumps
• Casco Bay Bridge (Wikipedia)
• Houdini's Rochester bridge jump

Conjuring the Spirit World: Art, Magic, and Mediums

A new exhibition, Conjuring the Spirit World: Art, Magic, and Mediums, opens tomorrow, September 14, at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA. Below are details.

Explore the essential role art and objects played for mediums and magicians “communicating” with the dead during the 19th- and 20th-century Spiritualism movement in the U.S. and Europe — a time when people actively debated and wondered, "can spirits return?" See paintings, posters, photographs, stage apparatuses, costumes, film, publications and other objects that will transport visitors to the age of Harry Houdini, Margery the Medium, Howard Thurston, and the Fox Sisters, among others. Whether you’re a believer, skeptic or somewhere in between, gain a new perspective on the timeless draw of mediums and magicians, séances and magic shows.

Conjuring the Spirit World: Art, Magic, and Mediums will run through February 2, 2025. You can get more information and tickets at the PEM website. A companion book to the exhibition can be purchased in the museum's SHOP.

We'll forgive them for using Thurston as their key art instead of Houdini!

Related:

• Salem's "Houdini Way" mural
• Salem will rename street "Houdini Way"
• LINK: The complete account of Houdini's visit to Salem, Massachusetts

Deconstructing Houdini '53: America's Sensation

Continuing my scene-by-scene dissection of the 1953 biopic HOUDINI starring Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. Last time, Houdini returned to America only to find himself ignored by the press. That's about to change.

Chapter 17: America's Sensation

We start in the bedroom of an unknown woman (Maxine Gates). She's in a nightgown and is clearly just waking up. The sound of a band in the street briefly draws her attention, but she shrugs it off. As a New Yorker, she's seen it all. She then raises her blinds to find Harry Houdini hanging upside-down in a straitjacket outside her window and flips out.

We then cut outside to the scene of a classic Houdini suspended straitjacket escape. There's a crowd watching as Houdini struggles high above what is later identified as Times Square. It's worth noting that Houdini is using the same style of straitjacket from the Magician's Club dinner scene. It's also fun to know that this was shot on the Paramount backlot on Halloween (1952).

In the crowd, a policeman on horseback briefly blocks Bess and Mama's view. I'm not entirely sure of this policeman's purpose. Are we supposed to be worried he will stop the performance? Houdini did famously have trouble with the New York police during two such stunts, so this might be a way to express the idea that New York police kept a close eye on Houdini street stunts. Or maybe it's just a way to draw our eye across the crowd.

The policeman moves on once Houdini sheds his straitjacket and the crowd applauds. Among them is a reporter, Simms (Douglas Spencer), who tells his companion, "Remarkable fellow. I'll interview him today."

The suspended straitjacket escape became Houdini's go-to outside stunt in 1915 and continued until the end of his career. Houdini only did the escape in North America, so its use here as Houdini's first big American outdoor stunt is perfect.

Houdini doing the suspended straitjacket in Times Square has its own interesting history. Houdini first attempted to do the stunt in Times Square in 1916, but police stepped in and stopped the performance. Not wishing to "break faith with the public," Houdini did the escape unannounced in Bowling Green Park the next day.

Houdini finally received permission to do the stunt in Times Square in 1917 to promote a war benefit at the New York Hippodrome. In 1923, he repeated the escape in front of the famed Palace Theater in Times Square. He got into the air before police could stop him and was later fined.

The movie now dissolves into a montage of Houdini's American success. This is the second montage of the film, and as I said in Chapter 13, I love a good Houdini movie montage! So let's break this one down.

We begin with a shot of B.F. Keith's Palace Theater in New York, where we see Houdini is held over for his "26th week." Houdini certainly played the Palace, but no vaudevillian would be held over 26 weeks! Houdini's longest engagement was 19 weeks at the New York Hippodrome with his Vanishing Elephant. And speaking of the Vanishing Elephant...

Houdini's most famous feat of magic is represented on the front page of Variety. We see two photos of the elephant vanish with Tony Curtis inserted into an actual photo of Houdini (see below). The date on the paper is August 12, 1919, which is a year after the vanishing elephant, but still close. This also re-establishes an in-movie chronology that I will track as we continue.

The montage continues with Houdini and Bess doing a levitation. The Houdinis did do a Trilby levitation early in their careers, but it wasn't a trick Houdini was ever known for. But it's another nice uncut magic trick for the actors to perform. However, Tony makes a small mistake that reveals the trick if you know what to look for.

Other material was shot for this montage that never made it into the finished film. This includes Houdini's plane-to-plane transfer from The Grim Game (shot in black and white and undercranked to look like a silent film), a cremation illusion (again, not something Houdini was known to perform), and the Milk Can escape. It's a shame to lose The Grim Game clip, as it would have been a nice nod to his film career. (Houdini's movies would not get acknowledgment until the 2012 Houdini Miniseries.)

However, the true heartbreaker is the loss of the Milk Can escape, which still did make it onto posters and promotional material. Photos from the scene show Houdini performing it at the Orpheum Theatre in Harrisburg, PA. At the start of the montage, we saw the B.F. Keith's name on the Palace marquee. This name-checks the two primary American Vaudeville circuits of Houdini's day. These names would have been familiar to 1953 audiences, and it's a great way to show that Houdini was a vaudevillian for much of his career. 

The montage concludes with a shot of Mr. and Mrs. Schultz (Sig Ruman and Connie Gilchrist) from the Dime Museum opening sequence sitting among Houdini's appreciative audience. They have a short and one-sided argument about who exactly fired him. It's a nice callback and a great way to end the scene.

Up to this point, Houdini has been a light, colorful, and celebratory movie. But it's about to shift tone and travel into darker waters with its most famous and frightening sequence.

Want more? The poster we see in the cut Milk Can scene is based on an actual poster from Houdini's appearance in Harrisburg in 1912. You can see that, as well as a review of his Milk Can escape, as a "Scholar" member of my Patreon below.

Click to see all chapters of Deconstructing Houdini '53

Related:

• Houdini's secret New York straitjacket escape
• 100 years ago Houdini vanished an elephant
• Houdini '53 at 70: Cut scenes

Houdini by the Jerusalem Ballet, Sept. 16

The new Houdini ballet by Nadia Timofeeva, which premiered back in June, will be performed by the Jerusalem Ballet on September 16. Timofeeva recently spoke about Houdini's appeal with the Jerusalem Post:

“His story really touched my heart. He was born to a religious Jewish family and was an athlete. He started studying at a young age and was deeply affected by everything around him. He worked so hard and made this enormous leap to be a showman. He managed, in a short time, to become famous throughout the world, in a time without the Internet.

He had to be a marketing genius. He did all this with his body, and his training was intense. He had a very special life and roots and was a very special person. 

I saw his story more as an internal story about how each of us is trying to escape some situation. There’s the side of the Exodus: He was trying to escape not just from those chains but the internal ones. His whole life was an exodus."

For more information and to buy tickets, visit the Jerusalem Ballet.

Related:

• The Jerusalem Ballet presents HOUDINI
• HOUDINI on The Jewish Lives Podcast
• Houdini Plays

UK gym offers Houdini workouts

Gymbox in the UK is offering special Houdini-themed workout classes at their Victoria and Ealing locations. Details below.

Ready to break free from the chains of everyday fitness routines? Inspired by the legendary Harry Houdini's workout regime, challenge your body and mind by learning techniques in flexibility, breathwork, agility, and finger-dexterity drills while you hang from the ceiling. It's a workout that escapes limitations and suspends all belief. (And yes, of course, there'll be handcuffs.)

Hattie Grover, Master Aerial Trainer at Gymbox, tells joe.co.uk: "Houdini is not just about breaking a sweat – it’s about breaking free from limitations, both physical and mental. This class will challenge our members like never before, combining the thrill of escapology with a hardcore workout that targets strength, flexibility, and problem-solving skills."

For more information, visit www.gymbox.com. And to get exercise tips from the man himself, check out the top related link below.

Related:

• Houdini is your new fitness coach
• Houdini, Tarzan, and the Perfect Man
• Houdini's claim that he was building a "health house"

Houdini loses his marbles

On May 16, 1925, Houdini attended The Boston Traveler's Greater Boston marbles championship. There, he witnessed young Jack Walkenstein take the title. He then played a game against Jack and was "badly beaten," as you can read for yourself in the account below.

Boston Herald, May 17, 1925

Jack became quite a celebrity that month. In fact, it became fashionable to be photographed getting a lesson in the fine art of marbles from Jack.

Mount Vernon Argus. May 27, 1925.

You can see a photo of Houdini and Jack's match over at Joe Notaro's Harry Houdini Circumstantial Evidence. The photo was part of a scrapbook page that appeared on eBay in 2014 and was won by Casa Museo de la Magia in Valencia, Spain, who now have it on display.

 

Below are some more tales of Houdini the sportsman.

Related:

• Houdini the golfer
• Harry's Thanksgiving run
• Harry Weiss, boxer and club swinger?

Houdini in Australia facts and fantasy

Andrew McConville from the State Library Victoria discusses Houdini in Australia on the "In Black and White" podcast hosted by Jen Kelly. These are well done. You can listen via the links below at the Herald Sun.

Harry Houdini: The great escape – Part 1

Harry Houdini: The great escape – Part 2 

Speaking of Australia, here's something I recently found. This 1895 ad for the Welsh Bros. Circus in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, advertises "The Mystifying Houdinis" as hailing from Melbourne, Australia.

Lancaster New Era, April 22, 1895.

I've actually seen several other early mentions of Australia being Houdini's home country. I always suspected reporters were confusing Australia with Austria (because Houdini claimed that as well). But this mention of Melbourne puts that notion to rest. So, yeah, in his early days, Houdini sometimes claimed he was an Aussie!

Believe

Related:

• Houdini's Melbourne bridge jump (sans corpse)
• When Houdini showed Australia that a man can fly
• Houdini's LAST Australian flight was the wild one

LINK: Greenbriar Picture Shows on Houdini (1953)

The blog Greenbriar Picture Shows takes a look at the classic 1953 Houdini starring Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. Of course, we love this movie around here, and Greenbriar seems to like it as well. They've also shared a nice vintage newspaper ad that I've not seen before. Just click the link below to have a read:

Parkland Picks With Popcorn #5

Related:

• Deconstructing Houdini '53
• Houdini '53 at 70: Star power
• When Houdini (1953) came to TV

Get the Mystifier on Patreon

From 1991 to 2003, the Houdini Historical Center in Appleton published a quarterly newsletter called Mystifier. Each issue ran 4 to 6 pages and provided news on current events, reviews, as well as deep dives into Houdini history. Every issue also contained a column by Sidney Radner, who had his finger on the pulse of all that was happening in the Houdini world. It was a treasure trove of information written by people with a passion for Houdini.

I have a complete set of Mystifiers and reviewed every issue HERE. But there's nothing like reading the issues themselves. So I will be sharing downloadable PDFs on my Patreon as periodic Monthly Rewards.

I've started this month with the Fourth Quarter 1996 issue, which reviews Ken Silverman's Houdini!!! The Career of Ehrich Weiss and has a terrific interview with Penn & Teller. This will only be available for the month of September.

Just another good reason to become (and remain) a patron! Thanks for your support.

Related:

• Announcing WILD ABOUT HARRY on Patreon
• Mystifier, Fourth Quarter 1996
• The Mystifier file

It's the Houdini Miniseries 10th anniversary

Can you believe it has been ten years since the Houdini Miniseries first aired on HISTORY as a two-night event over Labor Day weekend, 2014? What can I say? I was not a big fan, and my opinion has only diminished over the years. But the run-up was undeniably exciting, and it was great to see a Houdini movie given such a big publicity push. So here's to the Houdini Miniseries. I'll be watching it tonight, just as I did 10 years ago.

You can view all 166 posts related to the Houdini Miniseries HERE.

Related:

• Making the Houdini Miniseries
• REVIEW: History gets a C- in Houdini
• Fact checking HISTORY's Houdini - Part One | Part Two