Tales of Magic and Mystery was a short-lived but highly regarded pulp magazine that released five issues between December 1927 and April 1928. Each issue had an article on Houdini by Walter B. Gibson.

• Dec 1927 – Houdini
• Jan 1928 – Houdini in Europe
• Feb 1928 – Daring Exploits of Houdini
• Mar 1928 – Further Famous Escapes of Harry Houdini
• Apr 1928 – Houdini’s Rendition of Mazeppa’s Ride

Today I share  Feb 1928 from my collection:

Daring Exploits of Houdini

Under water and in the air, Houdini performed feats of daring that were quite as spectacular as his exhibitions on the stage. His versatility amazed the public; yet his ability to perform these exploits can be traced directly to his early training.

At the age of twelve, he swam across the East River, and his interest in outdoor exercises produced in him a powerful physical development. In the year 1910, he achieved the distinction of being the first man in Australia to fly in an airplane.

This flight stands as evidence of Houdini’s early interest in aviation. When he appeared in motion pictures a few years later he performed some remarkable stunts while in the air, and stated emphatically that all his feats were genuine. The doubles and fake photography used in so many pictures were tabooed by Houdini, but unfortunately the average persons who witness motion pictures are unable to distinguish between the real and the imitation.

In “The Grim Game”, Houdini had a narrow escape from death while doing a stunt in the air that had an unexpected conclusion. He related the story as follows:

“During the screening of this picture, I thought at one time that my end had come. I was three thousand feet up in the airplane, circling over another machine.  The plan was for me to drop from my plane into the cockpit of the other by means of a rope. I was dangling from the rope-end, ready for the leap.

“Suddenly a strong wind turned the lower plan upwards. The two machines crashed together, nearly amputating my limbs, the propellers locked in a deadly embrace, and we were spun around and around.

“But by a miracle the planes were righted into a half-glide, and though they were considerably smashed by their impact. I managed to escape unhurt.”

When the picture appeared, the story had been rearranged so as to include the action of the crashing and falling plans, which reached the ground in a shattered condition. This stands on record as one of the most spectacular scenes of motion picture photography ever produced.

Houdini’s ease in the water served him well in his escapes. An interesting story is told of an experience which he encountered on his return from Australia. The ship stopped at Suava, one of the Fiji Islands, a place that is infested with huge man-eating sharks.

The natives were diving for coins, thrown overboard by the passengers, and it was said that their black skins rendered them immune from the attacks of sharks. One of these divers won the applause of the ship’s passengers by coming up with coin in his mouth, apparently having caught the money in that manner.

In the discussion that followed, Houdini stated that the man caught the coins in his hand and placed them in his mouth. Other persons doubted this statement, so someone suggested that the diver make the attempt with his hands tied behind his back.

At the same time, Houdini agreed to try the feat himself, and it was stipulated that he should be handcuffed.

Everything was set for the test, but before the dive was made the captain of the steamer stepped forward and cautioned Houdini not to attempt it, due to the presence of the sharks, which were a great danger. Nevertheless, Houdini persisted, and his hands were locked behind him. The native diver preferred a rope to the cuffs, because of their additional weight.

The coins were tossed into the sea, and quick as a flash both divers were after them. Down into the depths they went, while the passengers waited breathlessly. A minute passed before the native dive made his reappearance,. He came up, gasping for air—without his coin.

Perhaps twenty seconds later Houdini reappeared on the surface, just as the spectators were beginning to express doubts about his safety. His hands were firmly locked; but in his mouth were both of the coins!

He was drawn on board the ship a few seconds before the fins of the ever watchful sharks were sighted, making their rapid approach. Houdini presented the money he won by wager to the native diver he had defeated.

In an interview Houdini later explained his feat.

“In a tank,” he said, “you can pick up a coin with your hands tied behind your back, because you can use your mouth, teeth, and tongue to manipulate the coin. But when you are in the ocean, it is next to impossible to catch a coin and bring it up in your mouth.

“You ask me how I did it? I will let you in the secret—I didn’t do it at all! When I was under water, I released one of my hands, which gave me the use of both of them; I caught my coin and observed meanwhile that the black was unable to get his. I swam after him until he had given up trying for it, and we had gone down to such a depth that my ears rang, and my head was splitting, and all I could see was the white, shining piece of money.

“Eventually I grabbed the coin, put in my mouth, and propelled myself violently upward. As I rose toward the surface my hands were still free, so I turned around and came up feet first. This allowed me to get my hands behind and into the cuffs, which naturally gave the impression of having been locked during the entire feat. Which is why I gave the Fiji Islander the entire amount at stake.

“I would not care to do it again; it was not for the money. I merely wanted to show that I was as good a swimmer as some of those Fiji Islanders.”

UNQUESTIONABLY the underwater feats were thrilling in all who witnessed them. That was probably why he devised his famous water torture cell, in which he was imprisoned upside down in a tank of water with a glass front. The audience could see him there before the cabinet was lowered over him and the escape which he made in a few minutes was most spectacular.

But before he produced this master escape, Houdini customarily gave outdoor exhibitions. Sometimes he was lowered into deep water while handcuffed and imprisoned in a box from which he made his escape; on other occasions he leaped from a bridge, while heavily manacled.

He did this in Berlin, Germany, from the Fredrichstrasse Bridge, on the fifth of September, 1908. At Breman, he plunged into the Weser, which was covered with a thin layer of ice, through which he broke, and then released himself. On the seventh of December, 1908, he dived, manacled , into the Mersey River at Liverpool, and eight days later he took a similar plunge into the Egbaston River at Birmingham. On the nineteenth of April, the year following, he dived from the roof of the Morgue in Paris, into the Seine, and again effected his release. On the eighteenth of February, 1910, he performed a similar test in Melbourne, Australia, when he dived headfirst from Queen’s Bridge into the Yarra River.

Each of these exhibitions was filled with danger; but the greatest test of Houdini’s iron nerve was in Portland, Maine, where he encountered unexpected difficulties. In one of his last interviews Houdini recounted the circumstances surrounding that eventful achievement.

“While in Portland,” said he, ‘I advertised that I would dive, handcuffed, from a bridge. I went out to look the situation over, and found that the water was deep enough; and as the bridge was not very high, I decided that I could attempt the plunge from the superstructure, which was much higher, making the distance to the water as great as on some of my other famous plunges. So I advertised the feat that way, and stated the time at which it would take place.”

The water in which Houdini intended to make his escape was an inlet of the ocean. Possibly he had forgotten this; at any rate, he was due for a great surprise.

“When I went out to make the jump,” he continued, “a large crowd was there; but the tide was low. I had made my calculations while the water was at high tide, and I was in a predicament. I had a much longer jump to make, and much less water to do it in.”

Houdini did not state the actual measurements; but the tides in Portland Harbor are by no means meagre. From the description, the leap at high tide from the superstructure was at least twenty-five feet. The tide on the coast of Maine is very great, exceeding thirty feet in some localities, and the leap which then confronted Houdini must have been very nearly fifty feet—to which was added the grave danger of shallow water. A leap while manacled carries the diver deep beneath the surface, and the bottom of the channel loomed as a further hazard.

A man of less daring would either have abandoned the attempt or would have jumped from the lower level of the bridge; but not Houdini! He had advertised that the plunge would be taken from the superstructure, and the crowd was there to see it. So up he went, on the superstructure, and gazed down at the water far beneath him, ready to take what might prove to be a fatal plunge.

“The time had come,” he said, ‘And so I risked everything and made the leap. It was a most dangerous thing to do, but I was successful, and the crowd was more than satisfied .

‘Nevertheless,” he added quietly, “I was glad when it was over!”

Just how dangerous the under water escape was is proven by the disasters which befell those imitators who sought to emulate Houdini. Two daring performers were rescued when their plans went wrong—one by life guards at Atlantic City; another from a river in which he lay unconscious. A third performer,, Ricardo by name, jumped handcuffed from the Luippold Bridge, in Landshut, Bavaria, on the fourteenth of April, 1909, and was drowned. It is probable that many others have lost their lives in similar attempts. Obviously the exploits of escape artists are only for men of stout heart and supple strength.

Further adventures of Houdini will be related in the March issue. His amazing escape from death while lashed to a falling wind-mill bordered upon the miraculous. Do not miss this thrilling event in the life of the great escape wizard.

Tales of Magic and Mystery was a short-lived but highly regarded pulp magazine that released five issues between December 1927 and April 1928. Each issue had an article on Houdini by Walter B. Gibson.

• Dec 1927 – Houdini
• Jan 1928 – Houdini in Europe
• Feb 1928 – Daring Exploits of Houdini
• Mar 1928 – Further Famous Escapes of Harry Houdini
• Apr 1928 – Houdini’s Rendition of Mazeppa’s Ride

Today I share Jan 1928 from my collection:

Houdini in Europe

DURING the early years of the present century, Houdini made his first trip to Europe, and won great fame with his spetacular escapes. It was by no means an easy task for an unknown performer to win his way to prominence with a newly developed form of entertainment; and the great wizard met with continued opposition.

In Cologne, Germany, the police claimed that Houdini was misrepresenting his exhibition, and classed him as a swindler. Houdini demanded an apology, and took the case to court, where he was upheld. In one of the higher courts Houdini demonstrated his ability to escape from a specially constructed lock, accepting a challenge issued by the police officials who had slandered him.

In recalling his early adventures Houdini recalled an amusing incident which illustrated his ability to fight in the face of odds, and which clearly reveals the iron nerve which he possessed.

“Early in my career,” he said, “I set out to join a medicine show. I was an obscure performer at the time, and I felt that this meant a great deal to my future, for it afforded me an engagement that was better than any I had previously had.

“During my journey I had to change cars at a town where there was a union station, for two railroads—one line on each side of the station. I had eight minutes between trains, but the train that I arrived on was late. I hired a porter to transfer my baggage from one train to the other, yet there was barely time for the passengers to change trains, and the second train would not wait for my baggage which I had to have with me for my opening engagement.

“I appeared first to the conductor and then to the engineer. Both refused to wait, although only a few minutes were needed.

“One thought appealed to my mind, and I took advantage of it. I ran to the front of the train, and laid down with my head on one rail, and feet on the other, prepared to die rather than lose my chance to make good in my new job.

“The engineer blew the whistle; but I refused to move, so he started the locomotive. It came closer and closer, but instead of budging from my dangerous position, I clung tightly to the rails. The engineer’s nerve failed him, and he threw on the brakes before he reached me, although the cow-catcher was almost touching my head.

“I stayed there, and while the conductor, and the engineer were trying to decide upon an effective way to remove me, my porter accomplished the transfer of my baggage. I had achieved my purpose, so I left the rails and boarded the train. That ended the matter, and they were glad to be relieved of the dilemma.”

The Express Train Escape

EARLY in the days of motion pictures, one of the greatest “thrillers” was the rescue of the heroine from a railway track, effected by the hero from the cow-catcher of an onrushing locomotive. Sometime this was done with dummies; or the picture was taken backward, the man placing the woman on the tracks.

When this stunt was attempted legitimately, the result was an accident that cost the life of the actress.

Yet the thrill of escaping death before a modern juggernaut carried a popular appeal that could never fail to create excitement.

Perhaps it was Houdini’s early adventure in front of a locomotive that suggested to him the thrilling feat of escaping from ropes before the arrival of a fast express—but whatever the cause, he devised this exciting exhibition and performed it while in Europe. Through unforeseen circumstances, it came near being his last performance. The story which he told of it borders upon the miraculous.

“In Dresden, Germany,” said Houdini, “I had a most thrilling experience in connection with a railway train. I was lashed to the track and had to get loose before the train arrived.”

This was a precarious position for anyone; but the master escape wizard knew, his own ability, and he was able to calculate just how long he would need to effect his realease. He worked on the ropes and, finding his task less difficulet than anticipated, did not hurry his efforts.

But here the unexpected occured. In the twinkling of an eye, he was faced with terrible danger, his plans gone wrong, and death but a few seconds away!

“Through an error in calculation,” he said, “my time proved shorter than I had anticipated. While I still thougth I had several minutes ahead of me, the swiftly moving express train came on the scene, and roared into view a short distance away!

“I had just loosened my hands, and was working to release my feet. They were still tied to the rail, and I did not have time to free them!

“I struggled at the ropes that still bound me, and, almost at the last instant, I managed to discover sufficient slack in the rope to throw my body to one side, and pull my feet, still bound, down beside the rail.

“Less than a second later the train thundered by and missed my feet by inches, cutting the rope instead! This completed my release, and instead of finding my mangled body the spectators discovered me free and standing by the railway track!

“Some time later I learned that a motion-picture actor attempted the same stunt, planned beforehand; namely, letting the train cut the ropes; but he failed to work it and was killed.

I never did that particular type of release again, after my narrow escape.”

Luck and quick thinking saved Houdini’s life on that momentuous occasion. It stands as one of his most thrilling escapes, effected in an exciting moment, when failure meant sure death.

One of Houdini’s most dangerous experiences is related in our next issue. Heavily handcuffed, he leaped fifty feet into the ocean, risking his life under difficult and unexpected conditions. Be sure to read this spectacular story, which was related by Houdini himself.

Tales of Magic and Mystery was a short-lived but highly regarded pulp magazine that released five issues between December 1927 and April 1928. Each issue had an article on Houdini by Walter B. Gibson.

• Dec 1927 – Houdini
• Jan 1928 – Houdini in Europe
• Feb 1928 – Daring Exploits of Houdini
• Mar 1928 – Further Famous Escapes of Harry Houdini
• Apr 1928 – Houdini’s Rendition of Mazeppa’s Ride

Today I share Dec 1927 from my collection:

Houdini

Relating Some of the Hazardous Adventures

of This Famous Escape Wizard

By Walter B. Gibson

FOR twenty years the name Houdini has held a peculiar significance in the minds of the public—a significance which did not decrease with his passing in October, 1926.

This is because Houdini was unique. He attempted amazing feats which were new and unusual, and he was invariably successful. To the average person he was an enigma, and his secrets were unexplainable. His famous escapes were a source of wonder to millions of people, and they could hardly attempt to explain his methods.

The “secrets of Houdini” were looked upon with awe. Some believed he was a contortionist; others considered him as a being of almost superhuman power; but those who really knew him realized that he was a great showman who understood the public. Houdini began his professional career as a magician, but he did not gain his fame through magic. It was his development of the escape act that brought him into the limelight. The dictionary describes him as a “mystericist, wizard, and expert in extrication and self-release.” It was not until he had attained twenty years of fame in extrication and self-release that he appeared with his full evening magical show; and then nearly half of his program consisted of escapes, and exposures of fraudulent spirit mediums.

Harry Houdini cannot properly be placed in the line of famous modern magicians that includes Robert-Houdin, the Hermanns, de Kolta, Kellar and Thurston. Instead of gradually achieving a reputation in the art of magic, he rose to sudden prominence with a new type of mystery which he developed to an amazing degree. He was an outstanding figure of the twentieth century— a stage performer whose greatest exploits occurred off the stage.

Houdini had competitors in his own field. There were others who claimed to be handcuff kings, but none of them attained great fame, because they were not equal to the task of presenting such a difficult type of entertainment.

In his early days, Houdini would appear on the stage, invite a committee from the audience, and allow himself to be shackled or locked in some contrivance. Then a cabinet was lowered over him, and for ten, fifteen, twenty minutes—or even an hour—he was hidden from his audience. At the end of the particular period he would emerge from the cabinet free of his bonds. The spectators saw nothing of the actual release. They spent their time looking at a closed cabinet, yet they enjoyed it! This was because Houdini was a master showman who could convince his audience that he was about to attempt something sensational; who could make their interest endure while he was out of sight; and who could win their acclaim when he had achieved his escape. Other performers who presented similar acts succeeded only in boring their audiences.

The fact that Houdini had no great rivals and that most of his work was done out of sight are two important reasons why his secrets did not become generally known. А man who knows magic can figure out the method of a new illusion when he sees it on the stage; but to explain something which takes place out of one’s view requires a good deal of guesswork.

Houdini a Great Challenger

NEXT to his showmanship, the great secret of Houdini’s success was his willingness to accept any challenge, on or off the stage. Не was always ready to attempt the unusual, and he gained immense publicity through his challenges. In many cities where he appeared he performed the celebrated jail escape. He worked his way out of cells and prisons in New York, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Newark, Detroit, Chicago, Washington, Buffalo and other American cities; during his European travels he escaped from jails in London, Sheffield, Moscow, Liverpool, Manchester, Amsterdam, and The Hague.

On the stage, he escaped from piano cases, milk cans, cages, straight-jackets, desks, and mail pouches. He also freed himself from safes, vaults, and other contrivances.

About the year 1911, Houdini produced one of his greatest escapes, the Chinese Water Torture Cell, which remained in his program until his last performance in 1926. His feet were locked in stocks, and he was lowered head foremost into an upright cabinet filled with water. The front of the cabinet was made of glass, so that the audience could see him upside down, while the top of the casket was padlocked. Then the cloth was lowered over him, and in about three minutes he came through the curtains, dripping wet. The cloth was raised to show the water cell still locked. All this took place while a committee from the audience was on the stage.

Needless to say, there was an element of danger in this performance. The same was true of Houdini’s celebrated under water escape, in which he was dropped overboard from a bridge, handcuffed in a packing case which was nailed tight shut. The case was weighted with three hundred pounds of pig-iron which made it sink immediately, and a quick escape was absolutely necessary. Houdini performed this feat in many cities.

In all of these amazing exploits Houdini relied upon his great strength and his iron nerve. He was powerfully built, and a very dynamo of energy. He studied his escapes and he knew what he could do. The public is always fascinated by a dangerous exhibition, and Houdini played upon that fascination.

Many of the feats which thrilled the public were merely incidents in the career of Houdini. But there were others in which the element of danger was present to an unusual degree—times when Houdini accepted a challenge which nearly cost him his life.

Strangely enough, few of these adventures were told to the public. It was a known fact that Houdini exposed himself to great risks and frequently defied death. Several of his imitators lost their lives attempting to duplicate his exploits. But in all the long list of Houdini’s amazing adventures, only one man could tell which were the most dangerous and the most thrilling, and that man was Houdini himself.

A few months before his death, I spoke about this to Houdini, and expressed surprise that he had not told these stories. He agreed that they were worth telling, and offered to relate them. He gave the subject consideration, and in Worcester, Massachusetts, a few weeks before his death, he dictated notes which appear in this article. These stories are personal glimpses of Houdini’s active life, and they form one of his last important interviews.

The Famous Milk Can Escape

ONE of Houdini’s greatest escapes was that of releasing himself from a milk can. In London, England, he was playing at the Euston Music Hall, and it was proposed that he escape from a huge milk churn. As the escape was to be a long and difficult one, holes were bored in the top of the churn to admit air. Houdini was placed in the churn; the lid was clamped down; the cabinet was lowered over him, and the adventure began.

“The churn,” said Houdini, “was a huge one, but I was cramped for space, and realized that my position was a difficult one. A few moments elapsed, during which I had made little progress, when I suddenly realized that it was difficult for me to breathe. The small holes that admitted air were too tiny to supply the amount I needed, and I was in great danger of suffocation.

“I realized that in my efforts to escape I was exhausting the available oxygen. It was useless to shout for help, as my cries would not be heard. It was up to me to get out in record time.

“I struggled my hardest to effect a quick release. I rocked the churn back and forth, but could not escape, and precious moments were passing. Suddenly, in my thrashing, I overturned the churn, and it fell on the stage.

“The cover was held down by clamps, and as luck would have it, the churn fell so that one of those clamps struck the floor, and the blow dislodged it. The cover came loose, and I pushed it off. The air rushed in. I was safe, and free from the churn! Yet it was a narrow escape—one that seemed impossible, and that came in the nick of time.

“While in England, I offered to meet all challenges, and I received many ingenious proposals. I effected all the required escapes, but finally one arrived that involved mental as well as physical hazards.”

Here is a copy of the challenge, which was mailed on Valentine’s Day!

Chatham, February 14, 1911.

Mr. Harry Houdini,

Dear Sir—We challenge you to stand in front of a loaded Government 8 cwt. steel gun, to which we will secure you, insert a fuse which will burn twenty minutes, and if you fail to release yourself within that time you will be blown to Kingdom Come.

In lashing you to the muzzle of the gun we will place a rifle barrel between your arms behind your back, bringing your hands on your breast, where we will securely lash them. Your feet we will tie to an iron ring which we will nail into the floor. Your body we will lash against the muzzle of the gun in such a manner that we believe it will be impossible for you to free yourself.

Test must take place in full view of the public.

The challenge was signed by four petty officers of the navy, all skilled in tying the intricate knots only a sailor knows.

“I accepted the challenge,” said Houdini, “and it was arranged to take place a few days later. The naval men were there with their cannon and ropes, and a large crowd was present. I had often escaped from coils of ropes, but never at the mouth of a cannon!

A Test of Nerve and Skill

THE naval men lived up to their part of the agreement. They lashed me firmly to the gun, and used every effort to make escape impossible. My elbows were in back of me, with a rod thrust through, and my hands were tied in front. It was a most difficult and dangerous position. Then they set off the fuse, allowing me twenty minutes to go.

“The situation required quick action. I struggled and worked at my best. I lived up to my reputation, and freed myself in twelve minutes!

“But there is one incident about that adventure that stands out in my mind even more than my thrilling race against destruction—one of those humorous occurrences that happen in the face of danger. That was a remark made by the Chatham chief of police.

“Before the tying commenced, that officer approached me, shook his head dubiously, and said:

“‘Houdini, this is a foolish and dangerous stunt, and I should not allow it. It is not only dangerous to yourself, but also to the spectators. Before you begin, I want you to understand clearly that if anyone is hurt, I will hold you responsible!’

“You can imagine what chance he would have had of holding me responsible! If anything had gone wrong, he would have had to collect me first!”

The Society of American Magicians 97th National Convention (S.A.M) in Appleton Wisconsin honored Houdini and the 100th Anniversary of his death.

Below are my day by day hightlights of this once in a lifetime special event.

June 30^th

5:10a-3:10p

Flew from Los Angeles to Chicago and had a 2 hour lay over before flight to Appleton.

In Chicago, first ran into Bruce Averbook and his wife Lorraine and then John Cox. We all boarded the same plane for Appleton.

3:10p-8p

Landed in Appleton Wisconsin and took shuttle to Hilton Paper Valley Hotel, where we were met by Narinder Chadda from the UK.

After John and I checked into our rooms, we met Narinder in the lobby and walked to Houdini Plaza.

Afterwards, I hung out with Narinder in the lobby and then we picked up our registration materials.

Narinder and I then met John, Bruce and his wife for dinner at the hotel; And then we were joined by Debbie Hardeen-Bloom.

Narinder gifted John and I beautiful Houdini throw blankets. Below is the one I received. Thank You Narinder!

8p-10:30p

Went to the Houdini Séance History Discussion and Methods by Dorothy Dietrich and Bruce Kalver, which was alot of fun!

Said hello to Dorothy and Dick Brookz and called it a night.

July 1st

9a-5p

Breakfast at Starbucks.

Picked up swag bag at registration desk.

Which also included access to Houdini Swag Vault Online which had some very cool stuff.

Visted the Museum at the Castle with Narinder Chadda and John Cox.

Picked up a few souvenirs at the gift shop.

Afterwards, Dustin Mack, Phd Executive Director at the museum allowed John to flip thru the Houdini Scrapbook (spanning years 1894 to 1900) for the three of us to see. We saw some incredible images (including an unpublished image of Houdini & Bess with fellow circus performers), newspaper clippings, and annotations by Houdini himself. Also confirmed that the museum has the Tad Ware Houdini Scrapbooks, but due to age and condition, they are not allowed to share now, but at some point will be put on microfilm for researchers to view.

After reviewing the scrapbook, Dean Gunnarson and Terry Roses walked in so we chatted for a bit. Dean shared some stories and his preparation for his can escape the next day at Houdini Plaza. You might recall, that Dean did Houdini’s Milk Can Escape for the Search for Houdini television special on Halloween Night, 1987 – he was a last minute replacement for James Randi, who was injured just before his scheduled live performance. That milk can was also used on the Happy Days Show, Season 6, Episode 14. Dean was originally going to use that milk can for his escape at the plaza until he found out it leaked, so as a last minute replacement, he would have to use a different can.

Narinder, John and I then walked to the Metamorphosis Sculpture.

Double-click to read

We walked back to the hotel and entered the Dealer’s Room.

Larrian Gillespie had a dealers table and was selling her new book, The Two Deaths of Harry Houdini, which everyone should check out. It is a unique book and take on Houdini’s death from a doctor’s point of view. Also at the table was George Hardeen and Debbie Hardeen Bloom. This was my first time meeting George in person. I had met Debbie at a past Official Houdini Séance in Baltimore.

The Bloods had a dealers table, where I got to meet Jeff and Debbie’s son, Nate Blood for the first time. What a great family. I first met Jeff Blood and Debbie Blood at the 2015 screening of the Grim Game at the Houdini Museum in Scranton, where I bought one of every item they had for sale at the time. Since then, they added some additional items for sale, so I picked them up. I exchanged contact info with their son for any new items they may have in the future. The Bloods once owned Houdini’s signed and bound copy of the Merry and Bright Comics, that ran the serial Houdini Schooldays for 30 weeks; it is currently the centerpiece of my collection.

Antony Gerard had a dealers table with a Terror Island Insert from a magazine, but it was not for sale; But it did get me to visit the table, chat with Antony and purchase a couple items.

Ran into Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz and briefly saw the SAM Magic Hall of Fame Houdini Collection and new Houdini Arcade game before lining up for the bus to the theater. I last saw this Houdini collection that included the Russian Manacle when it was on display at the Whittier Museum.

5p-11p

Took bus to theater, where “ICE” McDonald kicked off the festivities, followed by a promo for the S.A.M film project, Houdini Unbound, an A.I. centric film that will bring Houdini to life, premiering 10-31-26.

We were then treated to the Her Show with an all-female cast of magicians, which included: Cindy Kaplan, Julia Dryas, Tiffany Sauvage, Alyx Hilshey, and Lyn Dillies

After the show, took bus back and went to hotel restaurant where Narinder, Dick Brookz and I watched the World Cup USA soccer game, while John and Dorothy discussed Houdini seances.

July 2

7:30-8:30 Had Brunch with Narinder Chadda.

8:30-10:45 Witnessed a once in a lifetime Escape Experience at Houdini Plaza with John and Narinder.

Chain Escape by S.A.M. members.

Can Escape by Dean Gunnerson, where Dean recognized Dorothy Dietrich as the greatest female escape artist.

Terry Roses then secures Dean in handcuffs.

Dean enters the can and additional water is added.

And the rest is history. Dean successfully escapes after being in the can for over 2 minutes.

100 ft Suspended Strait-Jacket Escape by Houdini II (pronounced Who-dee-nee) who was hoisted up by a massive crane from the Tom Boldt company. Note: The jacket looked similar to the one in the Tony Curtis Houdini movie. At one point, sea gulls appeared out of no where, with one getting very close to Houdini II.

Houdini II after having some trouble with the jacket was able to successfully escape.

Seeing Dean and Houdini II really gave you a sense of what it would have have been like to see Houdini perform and it also gave you a sense of just how dangerous and suspensful these escapes are.

Bravo to Dean and Houdini II!

10:45-11:45a Houdini Family Interview

Bruce Kovar interviewed Deborah Hardeen Bloom, George Hardeen, and Jeff & Debbie Blood who shared some amazing stories. While the Bloods knew they were related via Houdini’s niece Marie Blood, the Hardeen’s didn’t know until many years later. Hence, the Hardeen Family didn’t inherit any Houdini items, where the Bloods did. The Bloods shared on the big screen some of the family items that got passed down to them. Deborah shared that she has been involved in many of the Official Houdini Seances and George talked about the Houdini’s Last Secrets TV series he did in 2019; and also mentioned a podcast he was doing where he would interview people about Houdini and Hardeen, which would include folks in the audience.

1p-2p Houdini Walking Tour with John, Narinder and others.

Erin Comer, Education & Collections Manager at the History Museum at the Castle, was our wonderful tour guide. It was great to see John’s reaction when Erin shared new info or confirmed some info.

Temple Zion:

Double-click to read

Appleton Police Station:

Houdini’s child home (was believed to be located on grass area over my shoulder in what is now Houdini Plaza):

Below are some of the other signs (double-click to read) we encountered on the tour:

2p-3:30p Watched the Grim Game with a brilliant piano accompaniment by John Sturk. Bravo!

3:40p Picked up my ticket at registration that was good for a bottle of Houdini Beer or Houdini Root Beer the next day.

4:25p Signed up for Houdini Run on July 4^th and got a cool looking T-Shirt.

4:30p-6p Narinder and I went to the Close -Up Contest and saw some very talented performers

6p Met Trudy Monti for the first time, she was a very charming lady, who gifted me a couple first day Houdini covers I was interested in purchasing. Trudy also shared an escape scrapbook of her late husband, Harry Monti, with Narinder and I, that will eventually become a book. We were then joined by Terry Roses and had a discussion about Zanetti The Super Criminal.

6:30-8p Narinder and I went to the Vault for Dinner and we each created our own pizza.

9:45p-11p

John Cox and Mike Caveney took the stage or should I say Felix and Oscar. The banter between John and Mike was very entertaining. Mike set the record straight that he is not a Houdini hater. They talked about Bruce Averbook’s Houdini Pocket Travel Diary and how it was transformed into the Escaping Obscurity Book;

Followed by what went into getting the David Copperfield’s wax cylinders of Houdini voice transferred, and then came the surprise that only John and Mike knew about. Everyone was asked to put their cell phones and recording devices away. John then played the never before heard German voice cylinder.

This was followed by revealing the cover of John’s new book:

After the history making talk, ran into Tom Boldt who graciously volunteered to give a tour of the new spots to be added to the walking tour during my stay here. I asked if would be okay to include John Cox and our friend Narinder from the U.K., and he said sure. He also walked me through all his posters hanging in the lobby of the hotel.

July 3rd

9-10:30a

Had Buffet with Narinder and John

10:30a Met in the dealers room to take a publicity photo for the book: Houdini, The Man Who Died Twice with author Larrian Gillespie and Watsons Bruce Averbook, John Cox, myself, and The Cowboy George Hardeen

11a-12:15p Went to Boris Wild lecture with Bruce Averbook

12:15p 2:45p Hung out with John Cox  and Narinder Chadda. We were then joined by Paul Draper and Tom Ewing

3:45p Bus to Magic Opera Theater

Got to watch the promo for S.A.M. A.I. film project again.

Then we were treated to an incredible All-Star Magic Show with MC Mike Caveney, Christopher Hart, Shawn Farquhar, Puck, John Shryrock & Mari Lynn

7p-10p Walked with Narinder and John to an Italian Cuisine Restaurant down the street from the hotel and had incredible dinner and service.

10p-11:30p Walked back to hotel and had drinks and shot pool with John and Narinder

July 4

Breakfast with Narinder Chadda

Houdini Run with Narinder, Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz

10p-4pTom Boldt gave us a private tour of Appleton which included:

Extended Walking Tour with additional signs, except we discovered 2 temporary signs were missing and 1 permanent sign was missing. Tom is now on it. Hopefully new permanent signs stay permanent.

The permanent sign by river about Houdini almost drowning as a kid was missing.

Temp sign that discussed his movie career and where his movies played in Appleton was missing;

And the Outgamie Court House temp sign was missing. This was where Meyer Weiss got his citizenship in 1882.

Below are temporary signs [double-click to read] that were not missing:

V.I.P. Tour of Henry James and Cremora Rogers Residence (now Hearthstone Historic House Museum) by the director himself. First house in the U.S. with electric light powered by hydroelectricity.

Tour of former paper mills

Tour of Appleton Lock 3

Tour of Telulah Park – where an unpublished photo of Houdini and Hardeen was taken.

Tour of Rev F.J. Saloman’s Grave – Saloman took over for Meyer Samuel Weiss in 1883; Learned that Saloman’s German may have been more in line with the German speaking residents than Weiss’ German.

Thank You Tom Boldt for a fun day, we will never forget.

4:30p-5:30p President’s Reception

Hung out with Narinder and John

Dinner: Narinder and I sat with S.A.M Hall of Fame and Magic Museum President, Kim Hallinger and her husband, a gentleman that was 95 years old and in amazing shape, Magician Old Jasper and his wife along with their talented daughter, Julie Dryas who performed on the Her Magic show night. All were from Assembly 22 which meets in Duarte California. Assembly 22 was the assembly I joined as a kid and we met in Hollywood at the time. Also the Hall of Fame Pres is the one that was gracious enough a couple years ago to allow myself, Bill Kalush, Fred Pittella and Arthur Moses VIP access to the Whittier museum when it displayed part of their collection.

Won the center piece.

Magic show with Jonathan Neal and Liane was incredible.

Packed up, then hung out at the bar with Narinder, John, and Tom Boldt, Had Houdini beer. Said good-bye and thank you to John and Tom for making this trip incredible.

July 5^th

9a Last Buffet with Narinder from the U.K., who was so much fun to hang out with and made the trip extra special. Thank you my friend.

10:30a I then boarded the shuttle to the airport, where I was joined by Tom Ewing and Marc DeSousa. At the airport, ran into Bruce and Lorraine Averbook, who were booked on an earlier flight.

8p arrived at LAX.

8:30p arrived home.

Thanks to S.A.M and all involved in putting on a convention for the ages that honored our hero, Harry Houdini.

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

Related:

• Houdini LIVED in Appleton last week (John Cox report)

I was last in Appleton Wisconsin in 1998; And am looking forward to returning to Houdini’s childhood home, for a once in a century gathering to celebrate his life, artistry, and enduring impact on the art of magic,100 years after his passing.

Beyond the shows on July 1, 3, and 4, here’s what I’m most excited about:

• Getting to meet in person for the first time, my UK friend Narinder Chadda (who helped in my Mirror Handcuff research) [Jun 30]
• Houdini Séance History Discussion and Methods with our friends Dorothy Dietrich and Bruce Kalver [Jun 30]
• Debut of Houdini: The Man Who Died Twice by our friend Larrian Gillespie [Jul 1]
  • “A unique book and take on Houdini’s death from a doctor’s point of view. ” – Joe M. Notaro
• Dealers Room [Jul 1, 3, 4]
• Visiting the Houdini Collection at the History Museum at the Castle [Jul 1-3]
• Houdini Family Interview with our friends Jeff and Debbie Blood, George  Hardeen, and Deborah Hardeen Bloom [Jul 2]
• Houdini Walking Tour [Jul 2]
• Screening of The Grim Game with music accompaniment byJohn Sturk [Jul 2]
• Houdini History Interview and Presentation by our friends John Cox and Mike Caveney with John Cox revealing the cover of his new book, Handcuff King: The Conquests of Harry Houdini, 1900-1909 [Jul 2]
  • “This isn’t just the ultimate chronology; it’s an ultimate biography that provides the most accurate and up-to-date timeline of Houdini’s years as the Handcuff King. A true masterpiece.” – Joe M. Notaro

Full Report July 12^th.

Tales of Magic and Mystery was a short-lived but highly regarded pulp magazine that released five issues between December 1927 and April 1928. Edited by Walter B. Gibson—who later achieved fame as the creator of The Shadow—the magazine blended non-fiction articles on stage magic and escape artists (including Harry Houdini) with weird and supernatural fiction. It is famously known for publishing H.P. Lovecraft’s short story “Cool Air”. It was priced at 25 cents, and each issue was 64 pages long.

The magazine is now extremely rare, and has become a collector’s item because of the connection to [Houdini and] H. P. Lovecraft. Most of Lovecraft’s short fiction appeared in Weird Tales, and it is possible that he submitted to Tales of Magic and Mystery because of his interest in Harry Houdini—he had ghost-written a story for Houdini a couple of years earlier, and Gibson was a friend of Houdini’s. [Wikipedia]

In 2004, Wildside Press released a facsimile edition of the February 1928 issue,

And in 2013, Adventure House released a facsimile of the March 1928 issue,

And in 2025, Fiction House Press released a facsimile edition of the December 1927 issue.

Maybe someday, a facsimile edition of the January 1928 issue and April 1928 issue will be released.

I am fortunate enough to have originals and in future posts plan to share the Houdini series that spans all 5 editions.

On April 5th, I learned from the Assistant Magic Castle Librarian, Joe Fox, that Houdini’s Secret Leather Ankle Braces were on display in the Magic Castle’s newly remodeled Museum (formerly known as the Cellar).

The plan was to check them out on April 10^th at Friday Lunch, but due to a Magic Castle fire on April 7^th, the Castle was closed for lunch. Thankfully, the Castle did re-open that Friday evening.

According to owner Randy Pitchford, the fire was largely contained to the attic and top-floor office space, leaving the building’s museum, artwork and the William Larsen Sr. Library of Magical Arts unharmed. Truly a miracle.

On Friday, June 5^th, I made it to the Castle for lunch. I was joined by Mark Willoughby, a longtime friend and Houdini Nut that I hadn’t seen for a long time. As it turned out, this was the first Friday lunch, where the Castle was trying out a new menu.

Everyone was raving about the new menu. Mark and I had the MC burger, which was tasty, and required a napkin after every juicy bite.

After some great conversation, Mark and I went to the 1:00 close-up show, where Michal Kulik from Poland blew our minds away with his unique card magic. He was also gracious enough to sign our lunch gazette.

Speaking of the lunch gazette, the back of it has a nice Happy Friday letter from Randy Pitchford where he chronicles the upgraded food plan, which includes this inaugural lunch.

Next, Mark and I went down to the William Larsen Sr. Library of Magical Arts, where we were greeted by the Magic Castle Librarian, Bill Goodwin.

We asked Bill about the new Houdini Chamber Experience, which he described as intense.

Mark and I then meandered our way to the Museum Theatre, as we commented on how nice the Castle was looking.

The newly remodeled museum, had the Houdini secret Leather leg braces that I came to see. Click link below for more info on this item now owned by Randy Pitchford.

• Houdini’s secret leg braces? [WildAboutHoudini.com]

After, exploring a little bit more of the Castle, we made our way to the gift shop, where Mark gifted me one of the Magic Castle’s new Séance Magnets. Thank you Mark!

Before heading out, we took a photo to commemorate our enjoyable Friday Lunch at the Magic Castle.