Tuesday May 7, 2024

Noon-4pm Arrived safely via my car at the Queen Mary for the Magic Collectors Expo. While checking in, Lupe Nielsen (Nielsen Magic) was the first to greet me. And then to my surprise, I heard a “Hey Joe”; it was Joe Fox (Assistant Librarian at the Magic Castle and fellow Houdini Nut). While talking with Mr. Fox, Dr. Bruce J. Averbook (Magic Art Museum and Library) said hello and I introduced him to Fox. Hung out for a bit, before checking out the dealer room, where the leader of the Houdini Nuts gang, Arthur Moses, was working his table full of Houdini items, which included his newest periodical book. We exchanged copies of our newest books, Houdini Periodical Bibliography References from 1898 -2023 Third Editon by Arthur Moses and Houdini Adaptations by Joe M. Notaro. Hung out at the table, chatted with Diego Domingo (Historical Research/Writer) about Houdini’s Zanetti connection to Gresham’s Nightmare Alley, Rick Strange (Magic Book Collector) about my three books (Zanetti, Houdini Schooldays, Houdini Movies), and met a new Houdini Nut, Chris Goldman (collector of Houdini for over twenty years), who I introduced to Houdini Nuts Fred Pittella (Houdini and Escapes Musuem) and John Cox (WildAboutHoudini.com).

4pm–5pm Attended Session #1 with Fred Pittella, where Bill Smith, Mike Caveney and David Sandy kicked off the 3 day voyage.

• Bill did introductions
• Mike gave a history of Egyptian Hall, from Durbin (first owner) to Caveney (current owner).
  • Side Note: (Bess Houdini gave the Tatler Cuff (likely the original Mirror Cuff) to Durbin, but the Tatler Cuff hasn’t seen the light of day since it was last part of the missing IBM museum in the 1930s.
• David promoted the Magic Collector’s Corner facebook group and had a ice-breaker contest, where we tried to guess the first magic set of some well-known magicians.

5pm–7pm Explored the ship and had dinner with John Cox in the Promenade Café

7pm–8:30pm Attended Session #2.

• Tom Conley told us about his recollections of growing up in the magical environment. Tom’s father was Jim Conley and a prominent member of the Southern California magic scene. One of his earliest memories was sitting on Dante’s lap at his home Racho Dante.
• Dana Daniels and Bill Smith (both born in Long Beach) shared the Magic of Disneyland which was an important first part of their magical journey.
• Lance Rich gave a multi-media presentation that covered adventures and misadventures of seafaring sorcery in three acts, including the Queen Mary.
• Guy Hollingworth performed a beautiful Transatlantic Act, which ended with a standing ovation.

8:30pm-? Hung out in the dealer room and sold some books

Wednesday May 8, 2024

9:30am-11am Joined Fred Pittella, John Harrison (author of Spellbound, The Wonder Filled Life of Doug Henning, Bill Kalush (Conjuring Arts and author of The Secret Life of Houdini) and others for coffee on the mid-ship promenade.

11am-12:30pm Attended Session #3

• Todd Karr (Miracle Factory) gave a History of Magic Kits
• Chris Martin gave a presentation on Everything you didn’t know about magic’s most famous statue, The Traveling Magician
• David Charvet covered the Golden Age of Magic in Southern California which included influential people like Houdini, theaters, shops and clubs.

12:30pm-4:15pm Took a side trip to Whitter Museum with Bill Kalush, Author Moses and Fred Pittella to check out the Russian Manacle that has seen the light and the S.A.M Hall of Fame and Magic Museum that is currently on display. Thank you to Nick (curator) and Kim (President of the S.A.M Hall of Fame and Magic Museum) for their hospitality during our visit. Besides seeing the Russian Manacle, we also checked In-N-Out Burger off Fred Pittella’s bucket list.

4:15pm-5pm Got to visit The Museum put together for the Expo that included:

• Extremely rare items from Mike Caveney’s Egyptian Hall Museum
• Jim Conley films
• Bill & Bob Self’s Thurston Illusions
• Joe Fox Notebook of Southern California Magic Shops

5pm-7pm Toured the Engine Room with John Cox, Diego Domingo, and Fred Pittella. This was followed by cocktails at the Chelsea Chowder House & Bar with John Cox, Joe Fox, Bill Kalush and Fred Pittella

7pm-8:30pm Attended Session #4

• Stan Allen interviewed SoCal’s Magic Showman, Chuck Jones and we learned about his amazing career and the history of the Mismade Girl (Jan Jones)

8:30pm-? Hung out in the dealer room and sold some books

Thursday May 9, 2024

9a-11mam Got a Americano, Croissant, and explored the ship and then made my last visit to the dealer room

11am-12:30pm Attended Session #5

• Lance Rich moderated a discussion about The Long Beach Mystics Presidents Les Arnold, Stan Allan, Mike Caveney, Bill Smith and Dana Daniels.

2:30pm-4pm Attended Session #6

• Randy Pitchford presented Secret Pieces of Okito’s In Performance
• John Cox presented Houdini On The High Seas in a fun and entertaining way. It was very informative and included a chronology of all Houdini’s Ocean Voyages and some amazing images.
• Gabe Fajuri ended the session with a mini Potter & Potter Magic Auction that included a nice Houdini photograph, and a couple miniature Traveling Magicians items.

4pm-6:30pm Happy Hour at the Observation Bar with John Cox, Diego Domingo, Bill Kalush and Fred Pittella.

6:30pm-10pm Expo Dinner and Show

• Mike Caveney hosted a fantastic show that included acts by himself, Les Arnold & Dazzle, Stan Allen and Dana Daniels

10pm-11pm said my good-byes and drove home.

Thank you to Bill Smith and all his helpers for putting on an amazing Expo.

And thanks to all the people highlighted in bold above that trully made this a wonderful experience.

 

Friday May 10, 2024 (Encore) 

Drove back to the Queen Mary, picked up Fred Pittella, for a quick stop at my house to see my Houdini Collection focused on his movies, before driving up to the Magic Castle for a Houdini Nuts Gathering in the Houdini Séance room. Attendees included: Dr. Bruce Averbook, John Cox, Pat Culliton, Joe Fox, Gene Franklin Smith, Arthur & Linda Moses plus two of their closest friends (The Strong’s), Joe M. Notaro, Fred Pittella, Brian Verkuylen, and Mark Willoughby. A fun time was had by all. Special Thank You to John Cox for booking the room and Arthur Moses and his wife Linda Moses for the precious hand-made keep-stake (wooden clip-board w/Houdini Nuts notepad).

Joe Fox, Fred Pittella and I, then drove to John Gaughan’s Shop, where I met “Q “and John Gaughan graciously demonstrated two of his automaton’s for us, including The Houdini Automaton that gave me a signed Harry Houdini signature. Brian Verkueylen also joined us at the shop.

Next stop was a trip to John Cox’s place where Fred, Fox and I got to check out his cool Houdini stuff and meet John’s cat.

We then drove back to the Magic Castle, where I dropped Fox off and then took Fred to his hotel (Roosevelt Hotel).

Can’t wait for our next Houdini Adventure.

Related:

• HHCE highlights from Magic Collectors Expo 2023
• HHCE highlights from Magic Collectors Expo 2022 and Harry Ransom Center
• HHCE Attends his first Magic Collectors Expo