Monthly Archives: December 2020

A Look Back at 2020

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Despite Covid, 2020 was still an amazing year for Harry Houdini Circumstantial Evidence (HHCE) for a number of reasons.

Discovered and shared the true location and date of The Man From Beyond (TMFB) Niagara Falls Rescue scene, which was shot in the rapids of some other river far from any dangerous falls.

Shared my findings on Two reels of Houdini Film “Lost and Found” at Sherman Grinberg Film Library, which included the discovery that the “hanging from a bed sheet” footage on reel 2 resembles Houdini during the making of TMFB. And that he filmed two different escapes from sheets, and the one on reel 2 was not chosen for TMFB.

Completed the task of summarizing and sharing each adventure from the McCord file compilation (April 24, 1920 v1 n1 to June 5th 1920 v1 n7) of “The Amazing Exploits of Houdini” found in The Kinema Comic:

Shared my research on the search for New York World Vanishing Elephant photos:

Shared links to new books on Harry Houdini:

Celebrated the 100 year anniversary of Terror Island movie by sharing some incredible ads, photos, and not widely known info about the movie:

Shared early Houdini Trading Cards from an extremely rare set of 25 Hoyo De Monterrey of Havanna Tobacco Cards (No. 57-81) circa 1920, depicting stills from his Terror Island movie:

Also, shared info about his other movies:

Shared Houdini’s 1920, 1921, 1922, and 1923 appearances in the Boys Cinema Magazine:

Shared the rare 1978 Stuart Pharmaceutical calendars which featured Spectacular Houdini Feats and original artwork by James Barkly:

Shared some special posts about Houdini events in 2020:

Last but not least, shared three ground-breaking posts on my latest investigation and findings on the Mirror Challenge. Which Included additional information, insight and new photographic evidence on the Mirror Challenge confirming Houdini escaped from a cuff known as the “Tatler Cuff” as opposed to the Mirror Cuff in David Copperfield’s collection:

2021 should be another amazing year for Houdini and hopefully a better year for all.

SEE Houdini’s “Feature” Movies

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Advertising for Houdini’s four “feature” movies told audiences what they could expect to SEE:

  • The Grim Game
    • SEE Houdini escape from handcuffs, chains and a prison cell!
    • SEE him plunge between the wheels of a speeding motor-truck and foil his pursuers!
    • SEE him climb the side of a prison and crawl for a rope to the end of a flagpole swaying far from earth!
    • SEE him, on the brink of a gorge, fight a terrifying battle with his foes!
    • SEE him leap from the roof a skyscraper and release himself from a strait-jacket while hanging, head downward, on a rope!
    • SEE him risk his life in a deadly bear-trap and set himself free!
    • SEE him in all the other amazing scenes in this stirring story of love, mystery and dare-devil adventure!
    • SEE him, above everything else, in the most astounding feat ever caught by a motion picture camera:–Two aeroplanes race through the sky—The hero is lowered from one to the other — Just as he is about to board from one to the other — Just as he is about to board his enemy’s car the machines clash in an accident, turn over and over, and plunge to the ground thousands of feet beneath!
  • Terror Island
    • SEE Houdini escape from a nailed-up box forty fathoms under water.
    • SEE him release a girl from a safe that is locked and sunk in the sea.
    • SEE his hand-to-hand encounter with a pirate diver under the waves.
    • SEE him, at grips with a giant savage, plunge from a high cliff into the ocean.
    • SEE the overseas race to a South Sea isle to salvage sunken treasure.
    • SEE the battle royal for love and gold in a sinking submarine.
    • SEE the barbarous feast-day rites that lead to human sacrifice.
    • SEE the world’s master of magic and daring in the greatest feats of his whole career.
  • The Man From Beyond
    • SEE him fight to the death on the edge of the rocky cliff 300 ft above the yawning chasm!
    • SEE him make the sensational swim of the rapids of Niagara!
    • SEE him accomplish the unparalleled thrill of all times—the rescue of the girl on the very brink of Niagara Falls itself!
    • SEE him as the man who, encased in Artic ice for 100 years, is chopped out, and restored to life.
  • Haldane of the Secret Service
    • SEE how he escapes while bound hand and foot and cast into the Hudson.
    • SEE him battle the dignitaries beneath Paris streets.
    • SEE how he reaches the giant liner after he has gone to sleep.
    • SEE his miraculous escape while tied to the revolving water mill.
    • SEE him break the ring of nation’s counterfeiters, the financial foreign-backer of the world.
    • SEE him rescue his sweetheart from the clutches of the terrible Dr. Yu.

The Master Mystery Glass Slides

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According to the Master Mystery Pressbook:

YOU will have two advance slides on “The Master Mystery,” the great serial featuring Houdini.  One slide will be an accurate reproduction of the twenty-four sheet poster and is to be used prior to the showing of this super-serial; the other slide is the typical episode slide to be used to announce the episodes and the date on which they will be shown.

In addition to these two slides, there was also slides for specific episodes:

The United Kingdom also came out with a variant:

Related:

Credits:

  • Master Mystery Pressbook reference:  Ken Trombly Collection
  • Twenty-four Sheet Poster: Potter & Potter Auctions
  • Episode 1: Heritage Auctions
  • Episodes 3, 9, 12, 14, Typical Episode, UK variant:  Arthur Moses
  • Episodes 5, 15: Wild About Harry

Dazzled By Diamonds: Evanion and Houdini

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On November 14, Jim Hagy gave his well-received Dazzled By Diamonds: Evanion and Houdini presentation at NEMCA. I recently acquired a copy of this 28 page monograph that was produced in 2005 with his presentation at the British Library.

Jim’s presentation was based on his upcoming new and enlarged edition of his ground-breaking book, 1985 Early English Conjuring Collectors James Savren and Henry Evanion. Thanks to the generosity of Gary R. Frank, I have number 97/200 of the 1985 editon.

And now that Jim Hagy’s new and enlarged editon 2020 Early English Conjuring Collectors James Savren and Henry Evanion has been released, I have number 129/500 and highly recommend it. Details and how to order can be found below:

We are pleased to announce the release of this new edition exploring the
famed story of Houdini’s relationship with these two early English
magicians. The updated, limited and numbered edition is 200 pages
produced in full color with more than 85 illustrations. The format follows
our recently released Fair Tricks, The Magicians at the Columbian
Exposition, Chicago 1893.

Available in limted edition by contacting: reginaldscotbooks@comcast.net

EARLY ENGLISH CONJURING COLLECTORS: JAMES SAVREN AND
HENRY EVANION
Of the many legends concerning Harry Houdini’s collection of historical magic
and theatrical material, none may be as renowned as his acquisition of playbills
and ephemera from Henry Evanion. Evanion was not only an obsessive collector
of both theatrical and general ephemera of 19 th century London, he enjoyed a
long career as a performing magician including appearances for English royalty.
Houdini’s published recollections told only a small part of Evanion’s story as
Harry unquestionably knew it. Early English Conjuring Collectors traces
Evanion’s fit in the Houdini narrative, the Evanion legend crafted by Houdini
himself, and the broader reality of the life, performing career, and collecting
habits of Evanion and fellow magician, collector, and friend, James Savren.

Jim Hagy has been interested in conjuring history for more than 55 years. He
has written extensively about 19 th and early 20 th century performers, including
biographies of Henry Evanion, James Savren, William Henry Young, and Edwin
Dearn. He is most recently the co-author (with his spouse, Sage) of Fair Tricks:
The Magicians at the Columbian Exposition, Chicago 1893. He has also been the
editor and publisher of Perennial Mystics and its predecessor publications for
collectors and is a Member of the Inner Magic Circle (London). In real life, he is
Distinguished Lecturer in Residence at Loyola University Chicago and founder
and director of The Rooftops Project for the international charitable sector.

ACCLAIM FOR THE 1985 FIRST EDITION OF EARLY ENGLISH CONJURING
COLLECTORS:
“It is writings such as this which will make future collectors bless [Jim’s] name. If
you are a collector then it is a must for your library. If you are just an interested
magician you’ll derive pleasure from the anecdotes and descriptions of the life
and times of a magician working in that period in England.” Billy McComb, in
Genii, The Conjurors’ Magazine
“James Hagy has produced a most valuable addition to the biographical literature
of magic and his delightful monograph is unreservedly recommended.” Dr.
Edwin A Dawes, in The Magic Circular
“The picture of Evanion the collector comes alive . . . entertaining, carefully
researched, and fully annotated.” James Alfredson, in Magicol
“An excellent monograph….” Dr. John Henry Grossman, in The Magic
Circular
“I can now join the magic collectors who doubtlessly have already expressed
their appreciation of your contribution to the sum total of our knowledge . . . in a
well-crafted exposition.” Dr. Leonard N. Beck, The Library of Congress
“I am most impressed . . . it has given me a terrific insight into the fascinating
history of Evanion. It is an outstanding treatise…” John Salisse, Member of the
Inner Magic Circle (London)
“I enjoyed the Evanion/Savren book very much . . . . Congratulations on a job
well done!” Ricky Jay