Boys Cinema ran every week from Dec 1919 (n1) to May 1940 (n1063). Houdini appeared in 1920, 1921, 1922, and 1923 issues:
- Jan 17, 1920. v1 n6. “Houdini the Handcuff King” cover & p26. (HHCE Collection)
- Feb 21, 1920. v1 n11. “Houdini” p12+. (HHCE Collection)
- Jan 8, 1921. v3 n57. photo p5. (HHCE Collection)
- Feb 5, 1921. v3 n61. photo (HHCE Collection)
- Feb 19, 1921. v3 n63. photo p5. (HHCE Collection)
- May 7, 1921. v3 n74. “The Grim Game” p14. (HHCE Collection)
- May 14, 1921. v3 n75. “Terror Island” cover & p2+. (HHCE Collection)
- June 25, 1921. v4 n81. “The Grim Game” p14+. (HHCE Collection)
- July 30, 1921. v4 n86. “The Marvelous Houdini” (photo feature) p14+. (HHCE Collection)
- March 4, 1922. v5 n117. Houdini card on cover. (HHCE Collection)
- March 25, 1922. v5 n120. Houdini cover with Famous Heroes Card # 4 insert. (Missing)
- Jan 13, 1923. v6 n162. “Houdini In The Man From Beyond” p14+. (Arthur Moses Collection)
This week I share Houdini’s appearance in Boys Cinema Jan 17 1920 v1 n6 from my personal collection.
Some of his legendary feats (e.g., escaping from an European Prison Cell that the warden forgot to lock, breaking his own packing case escape record while filming the Master Mystery with a broken wrist, leaping handcuffed in freezing weather from Belle Island Bridge in Detroit, diving with Fiji natives for coins while handcuffed, being trapped under ice in Pittsburg) and his reason for going into pictures are told on this page.
Click to enlarge
Related:
I’ve never seen this photo of HH tied to a telephone pole. This must have been from that extensive California photo session where he was photographed all over the place tied to a ladder, a giant wagon wheel, locomotive, and so on. So far, the giant wagon wheel was his best shot.
Yes, California photo session. I have not seen that photo of HH tied to a telephone poll other than on the cover of the January 17, 1920 Boys Cinema. Would love to find another source where that photo was used.