In October 2016 and February 2021, this very nice publicity illustration above sold at the Potter & Potter Auction for $1920 and $2040 respectively. Congratulations to the new owner!

Below is the auction description:

LOT 63 DETAILS

[Houdini, Harry (Ehrich Weiss)] Ogle, R.B. Original Publicity Illustration of Houdini. Circa 1919. Pen and ink on paper, possibly depicting a scene from The Master Mystery (1920), in which Houdini is shown climbing through an open window into a bedroom at night and bearing down on a man wielding a dagger. “Kinema Comic” annotated in pencil in lower margin, with scattered printer’s annotations and stamps. Artist’s name identified on verso. 10 x 13″. Old central vertical fold.

The description mentions that it is “Possibly Depicting a Scene from The Master Mystery”.

Well, I have seen all of Houdini’s Movie, The Master Mystery, plus studied the script, synopsis, and book, and can tell you that is not a scene from The Master Mystery.

So what is it a scene from.  Well, I have also have read a number of “The Amazing Exploits of Houdini” found in The Kinema Comic and that illustration was made for the story  “In The Dead of Night” found in the May 29 1920 v1 n6 issue that I did a post on.

That said, the February 2021 Potter & Potter Auction did feature some nice items from his movie, “The Grim Game”, Lot 61 Lobby Card ($1,680) and Lot 62 Pressbook ($2,040).

Next Week: