Last Sunday was The World Wide Houdini Birthday Celebration which was a mega success.

Below is my presentation on “The Zanetti Mystery – Houdini’s Lost Novella” that did not air due to a scheduling conflict. Hope you enjoy it!

Special thanks to John Cox for hosting it on his YouTube page for me.

In my last post, I asked how the twins (above) are related to Houdini. The answer is revealed in the image below:

The twins image appeared in a March 19, 1926 newspaper, along with some other incredible Grandmother images of Houdini:

Houdini Bares Fake To Fool Mothers

Mediums will go to any length to fool their dupes. There is an actual case on record of a medium who materialized a pair of twin babies out of his cabinet to convince a mother who had lost her babies through death. The babies looked very lifelike in the dark but they were produced very easily. The medium simply painted baby faces on each of his knees. He had baby caps and gauze concealed in his cabinet and rolling his trouser legs, dressed the tables in short order and stuck his knees through the slit in the curtains of the cabinet.

Dupes Grandmother

Another medium was famous for his materializations of a stooped little old grandmother. He merely put on long robes and an old fashioned cap and bent over as he came out of the cabinet, speaking in a squeaky voice.

Special thanks to Joe Fox for March 19, 1926 newspaper image.

TRIVIA: Anyone know how the twins are related to Houdini besides the fact that they share the same birthday?

Come back on Sunday 3/27, where I share a newspaper with the answer and more.

I recently procured a copy of Oct 2005 Weird N.J. Magazine, that had an interesting article written by Robert H. Popper Jr about a building once owned by Houdini.

Below are some of the nuggets we learn about the building from the article:

• Julius S. Popper purchased the building from Houdini’s Estate in December 1926.
• The interior of the building was configured for processing of movie film.
• It was divided into many small light-tight laboratories, each containing a different chemical bath through which the film passed in sequence.
  • Julius removed all this and installed metal working equipment.
• There was a dead-end corridor in the rear of the first floor, about eight feet wide and fifteen feet long. It had no windows and the only entry was at one end where one had to pass through two doors in succession. The width and height of each door was the same as the width and height of the corridor. Either door alone would have been sufficient to seal off the corridor, but Houdini used both, one after the other. One was hinged on the left wall of the corridor, and the other on the right. In the chamber created by these double barriers he practiced his escapes.
  • Both doors were removed when the building was reconfigured for manufacturing.
• The building came with stacks of Houdini’s publicity materials, posters, billboards, fliers, etc.
  • Julius used to wrap shipments until his company, J.S. Popper, Inc, started to become known as “The Houdini Company”.
• The building had a hidden vault in the basement.

Today, I share some Houdini Collectible Phone Cards and some corresponding ads.

Joe Fox Collection

In 1995, these 6 Color Canadian Phone cards were offered by CardCaller(TM). They also offered two (portrait and chains) in black & white.

December 1995 MAGIC magazine

In 1997, the Houdini Historical Center offered four sets of prepaid phone calls.

Set 2 was due out in June, Set 3 in September, and Set 4 in December.

But as far as I know, they only ever shipped the first set.

Special thanks to Joe Fox for sharing the Canadian Phone Cards and corresponding ad.