Thursday, September 5, 2024

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.


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!

at

7 comments:

  1. Leo HeviaSeptember 5, 2024 at 10:06 AM

    Kangaroo straitjacket fail.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 6, 2024 at 5:50 AM

    Ever wonder if Harry got in a kicking match with a kangaroo whenever he went to Australia?
    *snicker*
    Sorry dude but even if you do prepare for the blow this time, those kangaroos have such big feet!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Leo HeviaSeptember 6, 2024 at 10:22 AM

      Houdini did a lot to pay the bills, but I don't think he ever tangled with animals to entertain a crowd.

      Delete
    2. AnonymousSeptember 7, 2024 at 2:43 AM

      lol it was a joke.

      Delete
  3. Leo HeviaSeptember 7, 2024 at 12:24 PM

    A nice podcast! Andrew did an admirable job of it. He missed Leopold's name and referred to him as Leonard. A few other small misses but it's to be expected.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. John CoxSeptember 7, 2024 at 12:29 PM

      Yeah, he's excellent when he sticks to HH in Australia, but falls into a few familiar traps when he talks HH in general.

      Delete