Last week, I shared Day 3 (Houdini Museum NY, Kevin Connolly, 278, and The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini) of my incredible Houdini Adventure on the East Coast, made possible by my friend and tour guide, Fred Pittella. Today, I share Day 4 (11/3), where Fred had made arrangements to visit another major Houdini collector, Ken Trombly in Bethesda.

Fred picked me up in my hotel in New York and we were on our way.  But before we got to Ken’s place, we made a few stops along the way.

The first stop was Houdini’s Film Development Lab in Union City, New Jersey. It once housed Houdini’s workshop and his ill-fated Film Developing Corporation. It is now known as the Houdini building and is part of Hudson River Studios. There is even a picture of Houdini inside the front door.

Next stop was lunch at a road-side travel stop, before heading to the Baltimore Airport to pick up another Houdini Nut, John Cox, who was coming into town to give his Houdini in Hollywood talk and screen The Grim Game the next day (11/4) at the Jewish Museum of Maryland, where the exhibition, Inescapable: The Life and Legacy of Harry Houdini, is currently on display through January 19, 2019.

Fred and I brought John up to date on Days 1, 2, and 3 of our Houdini adventure, as we traveled to Ken’s place.

When we arrived at Ken’s beautiful home, we were greeted by Ken and his son’s new dog that was only about 6 months old.

Ken’s formidable collection was overwhelming. I feel like we only got to scratch the surface of what he has. It is a researcher’s paradise.

The highlight for me was seeing a Master Mystery Pressbook. Wow! I can now say that I have seen Pressbooks for The Grim Game, Terror Island, Man From Beyond, Haldane and now Master Mystery. I also enjoyed seeing a “Houdini Herald” that promotes the Master Mystery.  Wow!

Later, we got to meet Ken’s wife and thank her for letting a few more Houdini Nuts besides Ken in her lovely home.

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

We left Bethesda and drove to Baltimore and ended Day 4 by going out for a late Italian dinner and then checked into our Hotel so we could rest up for the next days festivities. To be continued…