Since Houdini died on October 31st, 1926, his last Thanksgiving was Thursday November 26th, 1925. So where did he spend it?
I first checked Koval’s Illustrated Houdini Research Diary:
- And it doesn’t show him performing during the week of Thanksgiving, but it does show him performing at Parson’s Theatre, in Hartford, Connecticut the week after.
I then checked newspaper and magazine websites:
- And found a Billboard listing that mentioned that he gave a Thanksgiving performance at the jail while performing in Hartford CT; “Throw that bird here,” yelled the prisoners when he produced a turkey in one of his numbers.
Finally, I did an internet image search, and found the following image at WildAboutHoudini.com, where it was identified as a clipping coming from a collection that sold on eBay in February 2012.
So, the answer is he spent it in Providence Rhode Island performing a special matinee of his 3 shows in 1.
H A P P Y T H A N K S G I V I N G !!!