Mastery Mystery Episode 10 poster sells for 31K

A one-sheet lithograph for The Master Mystery Episode 10 sold on Friday for $31,000 at Poster Store Auction. This does not include the steep 31% buyers premium. It's unclear if this was the same poster that was sold by Haversat & Ewing in 2020.

The auction listing touted this as "only copy of this fabulous poster known to have survived," but this is not the case. There are at least two others in private hands. But it's a beauty and I think this might be a new record for a Master Mystery poster at auction.

Related:

• Master Mystery episode 10 poster sells for $24,570
• Mystifier, Second Quarter 1998
• The Master Mystery posters

The Vanishing Elephant appears in Providence

The Providence Performing Arts Center will present a "Sensory Friendly Performance" of The Vanishing Elephant this Saturday, March 15 at 2pm. The play, which premiered in New York in 2023, tells the story of Houdini's vanishing elephant Jennie (or Jenny, as the play spells it).

Tickets are only $5 and can be purchased at the Providence Performing Arts Center website. And before someone asks what a "Sensory Friendly Performance" is, here's a link that explains.

Related:

• The Vanishing Elephant reappears in New York
• 100 years ago Houdini vanished an elephant
• Houdini arrives in Providence

Take a Sweet Escape at the Magic Castle

The world famous Magic Castle in Hollywood has created a specialty cocktail in honor of Houdini's birthday this month. It's called Houdini's Sweet Escape.

The souvenir Houdini mini poster is his famous "Europe's Eclipsing Sensation" lithograph. Certainly one of the most beautiful Houdini posters. Only two originals are said to exist. One is in David Copperfield's International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts in Las Vegas and the other is in private hands. You can buy a stunning reproduction at Nielsen Magic.

Thanks to Mark Willoughby for the tip and Lupe Nielsen for the poster info.

Related:

• Who needs a drink?
• Escape your troubles with a cold Houdini
• The Magic Castle conjures The Houdini Box

Houdini and the windmill

Ever hear the one about Houdini and the Dutch windmill? The story first appeared (as far as I can find) in an article by Walter B. Gibson called "Houdini's Last Interview Revealed His Narrow Escapes." This ran in several newspapers in December 1926. Below is an excerpt from the Wichita Falls Times.

Wichita Falls Times, Dec. 5, 1926

This windmill story appears in Harold Kellock's Houdini: His Life Story and Milbourne Christopher's Houdini: The Untold Story. I suspect Christopher got it from Kellock, and Kellock got it from Gibson. Try as I might, I've never been able to find any evidence or independent source for this story, and most current biographies omit it.

So is the windmill story fiction, or just another example of the Germany problem (which encompasses the Netherlands)? If any of you research bloodhounds want something to track down, this would be a good one! It would have happened in May or June 1902 when Houdini was with the Circus Corty-Althoff in Holland.

It's worth noting that this Gibson article also contains what appear to be the first appearances of the stories about Houdini being tied to railroad tracks in Dresden, and being tied to the back of a horse in Nova Scotia in 1896. Those are also tales of outdoor stunts gone wrong that I've never been able to confirm.

Want more? You can read the full "Houdini's Last Interview" by Walter B. Gibson as a Scholar member of my Patreon. Fact or fiction, it's good stuff!

Top image A.I. generated.

UPDATE: For those who don't like my A.I. image, here's an illustration from the March 1928 Tales of Magic and Mystery. Thanks to Joe Notaro for this one.

Related:

• The Germany problem
• Houdini in a tight(s) spot
• Walter Gibson interviewed in 1973

Houdini Lincoln cover story in Skeptical Inquirer

The March/April 2025 issue of Skeptical Inquirer magazine has a cover story by Jason Emerson about how spiritualists tried to claim President Lincoln as a believer and Houdini's role in debunking that. This one is a must buy just for the awesome cover art!

You can read or listen to the article HERE, or pick up a print edition in stores. To subscribe visit the Skeptical Inquirer website.

I suspect this subject will be covered in greater detail in the upcoming book, Lincoln's Ghost: Houdini's War on Spiritualism and the Dark Conspiracy Against the American Presidency by Brad Ricca. You can pre-order that book now on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. Release date is October 28.

Related:

• Houdini, Rose, and Randi in Skeptical Inquirer
• Skeptical Inquirer looks at Houdini and Lovecraft
• Skeptical Inquirer discovers Houdini's Girl Detective

Discover the Houdinarian Society

Houdini devotees Larrian Gillespie, MD and Shell Reinish (who is currently teaching a class on Houdini at UNLV) have launched the Houdinarian Society. The website is already packed with Houdini content, including videos, artifacts, links, reviews and research. They also have a dedicated Facebook page and a way to subscribe and receive alerts when new content is published.

Larrian was kind enough to give WAH a shoutout and join my Patreon as an Angel, so I'm excited to share the love. The Houdinarian Society is a terrific way to keep up with all that's happening in the world of Houdini, so get to browsing!

Related:

• Houdini Museum launches new website
• Roger Dreyer launches "Houdini Revealed"
• Houdini's early days online

Houdini will never escape Jeopardy!

Houdini was back on Jeopardy! last Friday (Feb 28). This time he appeared as the answer to the Final Jeopardy question. All three contestants got it right.

Check out the J! Archive website to see all mentions of Houdini on the show going back to 1985. Cool to see that Hardeen got a nod on 12-26-24.

Thanks to Arthur Moses for the alert.

Related: 

• Houdini Jeopardy! triple stumper
• "I'll take Houdini for $1000, Alex."
• Escape Artist: An Edna Ferber Mystery available now