I recently have come across two Chicago Footlights Theatre Magazines with Harry Houdini:

• September 1903
• June & July 1904

And thought I would share some snippets.

The first one is Volume 1, Number 3 for September 1903 that I found on eBay. It prints a letter Harry Houdini had written from Moscow, Russia on July 25, 1903.  The Houdini letter appears on page 8 and takes up about 2/3 of a column and is addressed “My Dear Old Pal”. The letter describes the great success “Harry Money Houdini” was having in Russia which he describes as “…the biggest sensation ever made in Russia”. Houdini also reports that he “… had sent more money home from this country in four months, than any other country in ten.”

 

A LETTER FROM MOSCOW, RUSSIA

Follow’s a letter from The Great Houdini. It speaks for itself. He is a wonderful little man and all America wishes him continued success.

Moscow, Russian, July 25, 1903

My Dear Old Pal: Seeing your life’s history in Clipper, also when you were captured and your released put me in mind that it would be proper to drop you a few lines, an as to let you know that we are still in the land of the living, and have managed to keep out of the clutches of the law even up to this late day.

Have made the biggest sensation ever made in Russia and have sent more money home from this country in four months, than from any country in ten.

Why, I do not know but nevertheless it may come in handy some day, when they will refuse to book Harry Money Houdini.

April 27^th, I managed to break out of the M Siberian Transportation Cell, and that is what started the salary list rifling sky high. So you see that even though we are doing the old act, we are doing a new act getting money.

From what I hear from Chicago every once in a while, I hear that you are away up on top!

Am greatly pleased to hear of this, and trust that you will keep the good work up.

…

It may interest you know that I was speaking Russian like a Turk. When I return to America, I think I will open a small Education of Domestic School of Languages for I have had to speak my introductions in no less than eight languages.

Magical news is very scarce, so can’t tell you of anything that would interest you. Will share with kindest regards and best wishes to you and Mrs. In which my Mrs heartily praise, I remain as ever your friend.

H. HOUDINI

My bookings three months ahead so in case you had time drop me a line. Month of September, Circus Carre, Groningen Holland

Month of October, Central Theatre, Dresden Germany, after that we return to England

…

The second one is Volumes 1 & 2 for June & July 1904 that I found at the McCord Museum.

And the article on Harry Houdini appears on page 4 and takes up about 2/3 of a column. The article describes a man who became “successful” and yet “was not too busy to run all the way from New York to Chicago to see his friends and reward his benefactors of other times.”

HARRY HOUDINI

Houdini like a soft summer zephyr off the lake on a torrid day, blew into our sun burnt city, from over the seas, a few days ago, and did as much good, and was the cause of as much joy to many of his old acquaintances, as one should suspect a ministering seraph to do and for a suffering soul about to depart this earthy fever. Success is a mighty fine sensation. All of us can become accustomed to adversity, but few ever learn to bear upon them lightly the mantle of prosperity. Houdini is as natural in the role of a rich man all covered over with success and diamonds as he was in the poor struggling days when together we sold Hostetter’s almanacs for magic books in Mr. Hedge’s museum.

Harry has purchased with the good old coin he made by slipping out of handcuffs, $40,000 worth of New York municipal bonds at 4 per cent, and owns a large flat building in New York which yields him enough to buy ten dollars worth of ham and eggs at every meal for life, no matter how long the strike keeps up. Softly, — Harry sought and found all his old friends who treated him kindly in the bleak hours, and one particularly, who had slipped down the greasy way to uselessness — a good man, intelligent, and at one time a worthy, respectable citizen, but who tried to drink up all the whiskey in Chicago, — (he is too sincere and honest and old man to mention his name, —) Houdini found this old acquaintance who, with tears in his eyes, sobbed out his thanks as he was dressed up in new underwear, shoes, socks, ties, suit, hat, gloves, shirts, —everything,— was given a modest little roll to tide him over and because why, — because he had been kind one day to a hard working man who did tricks for a living and who meant  to succeed and did. All honor to him. We wish he had a bank full of money. Houdini who never called himself “great” but is. Remember the name, Harry Houdini, —an actor—a magician,—a success,—a man. Above all the man who was not too busy to run all the way from New York to Chicago to see his friends and reward his benefactors of other times. Remember his name Harry Houdini,—handcuff king.

Kenneth Silverman published photo (above) of Houdini waving a checkered flag in some auto race [???] in his Notes to Houdini! on page 179.

So where was this photograph taken?

• [A] Worcester, MA
• [B] Montreal, Canada
• [C] Detroit, MI
• [D] None of the above

Let’s explore each of the possible answers.

[A] The caption under the photo in Silverman’s Notes reads as follows:

Inscribed on the back by N.J. Weiss, Houdini’s sister-in-law: “Worcester, Mass, King, driver, last picture of Harry, 1926″.

Well, Houdini performed in Worcester September of 1926, he did the Buried Alive on stage at Worcester Opera House (the week of 9/27), Submerged casket test at YMCA pool (9/28) and Sealed casket test at Summerfield’s (9/30).

So, was there an auto race in town? So far, I haven’t found any evidence. The New England Fair was in town, but it featured horse racing from 9/28 to 9/30.

However, I did find out via an October 7, 1934 photo (above), that the first name of the driver was Bob. [Source: Dirt Track Auto Racing, 1919-1941 A pictorial history by Don Radbruch]

[B] Per an Oct 19, 1926 letter (McCord Museum) addressed to Houdini at Princess Theatre, Montreal:

Would you be interested in an automobile “stunt” for a display ad, to be run by the manufacturer of the motor? It would probably simply mean a picture in [by] the car.

Well, Houdini performed in Montreal from October 18^th to October 23^rd, he got punched (10/22) in dressing room of theatre and left Montreal (10/23) on the 11 pm overnight train (where is appendix burst on the way) to Detroit.

So, was there an auto race in town?  No, apparently the only early racing was in 1917 and 1918 at Deslormiers Park in Montreal. [Source: Don Radbruch]

[C] Per December 2008 Genii Thread, Houdini’s Last Photograph:

The photo was given to niece Marie Blood by Bess Houdini [and] Marie was led to believe it was that final (show) date in Detroit.

Well, Houdini performed that final show, October 24, 1926 at the Garrick Theatre in Detroit. The show was supposed to start at 8:30pm, but didn’t start until about 9pm.

So, was there an auto race in town?  The answer is Yes.  According to the 1926 AAA Championship Car Season Schedule and results, The Detroit 100 was run on October 24^th at the Michigan State Fairgrounds Speedway. But, would Houdini squeeze an appearance at an auto race in his condition before his evening show.

Or is it [D] none of the above. The car has Shenandoah printed on it.

According to Wikipedia:

Oh Shenandoah, the song appears to have originated with Canadian and American voyagers or fur traders traveling down the Missouri River in canoes

Shenandoah is a town in Virginia [hot spot for fairground auto races], but there was also a Shenandoah in other places like New York.

Well, Houdini was in New York from October 10^th to October 17^th. At the time, New York was also a hot spot for fairground auto races. So…?

Conclusion:

All of this said, we still don’t have the smoking gun.

But we did learn about a possible automobile “stunt”, the first name of the driver in the car, and that there was a auto race in Detroit on October 24^th.

For now, we’ll have to go with [A] Worcester, MA, but would like to see some more evidence, besides the inscription on the back of the photo, supposedly written by N.J. Weiss, Houdini’s sister-in-law. I am not aware of a sister-in-law with that name; He had a brother, named Nathaniel Josef Weiss, who married a Sadie Glanz Weiss. Sadie divorced Nathan and married Houdini’s brother Leopold. So was it Nat [brother], Sadie [sister-in-law] or someone else related to Houdini who wrote the inscription on the  photo.

Thoughts?

Related:

• Near Death Photo

Our friends, Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz, of the Houdini Museum in Scranton share the following Houdini News with us:

1) Dorothy Dietrich on Mysteries At The Museum:

• Scared to Death episode airs again on the Travel Channel, Wednesday April 17th at 7pm | 6c

2) Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz on Night-Light with Host Mark Eddy. They discuss the legacy of Houdini which includes his friendship with the T. Nelson Downs, the Daily Mirror Challenge, possible new info (to be revealed at a later date) on how Harry got his name and more.

3) A new Mason Blog with an article on Harry Houdini

• Harry Houdini The Masonic Magician

4) Two part series about a Hopewell man’s (Professor William Dunlop Tait) connection to Harry Houdini. You may recall that Prof. Tait invited Houdini to Lecture on Fraudulent Mediums at McGill and commented that he Looked Deathly at Lecture.

• The Hopewell professor and Houdini’s mysterious death – Part 1
• The Hopewell professor and Houdini’s mysterious death – Part 2 [Note: The photo is from a movie short and not of Harry Houdini performing at the Princess Theatre]

In 2007, the above photo was listed on eBay with a starting price of $1,250 and ended with no bids. The auction described the photo as taken in a “University area in Canada” shortly before Houdini gave a lecture there.  But we know the photo is actually Houdini posing outside the White House in Washington D.C. [Source: WAH]

I recently saw this photo during my trip to the McCord Museum. So, technically, the photo is in the “University area in Canada”, lol.

In addition to its location, I can also add that this International Newsreel photo was used 10-25-26 with the caption, HOUDINI: NEAR DEATH:

So, one can see how you could be misled that this was his last photo.

In honor of Houdini’s Birthday, thought I would light some candles and share a beautiful photo of Houdini doing a card manipulation late in his career, courtesy of the McCord Museum.

Houdini would feature card flourishes in his 3 Shows In 1.

While I wish we could say this photo is from the Princess Theatre, Montreal October 1926, it appears to be a non-cropped still from a movie short Houdini made earlier (1925/26). See below for comparison.

For more info on the Card Flourishes movie, please see the following post:

• The Houdini card manipulation movie mystery deepens, by John Cox at WAH

In the future, I plan to share some new info on a couple more 1926 photos

• Houdini Near Death Photo
• Houdini Checkered Flag Photo

Pages 12 to 14 cover Houdini’s crusade against Fake Mediums.

Related:

• Houdini Souvenir Program Variants – 1925-26 season
• Houdini Souvenir Program Variants – 1926-27 season
• Houdini Souvenir Program Season 1926-27 p 9-11

On March 3^rd, I watched The Travel Channel’s Mysteries At The Museum Episode, Scared to Death and More, that featured Dorothy Dietrich discussing how Houdini died. The segment was a little over 8 minutes.

The gist of the clip was that Houdini was getting better from the surgery to remove his ruptured appendix until injected with an experimental serum (possibly poison) by a mysterious Dr. Levevre (with possible ties to spiritualism).

This theme (serum may have been poison) was chosen by the show, which meant most of the other things Dorothy touched on did not make the cut.

FWIW: Kalush’s book, Secret Life of Houdini, calls Dr Lefevre “…a post-operative specialist…” and also states that he “…was a homeopathist who had devised an experimental serum to combat the poisons circulating through Houdini’s G.I. tract.”  And according to Kalush, Le Roi Crandon, had a confederate inject Houdini with that serum in Detroit, and it was meant to kill him, not cure him.

All of this said, I am not aware of any link between Crandon and Dr. Lefevre, but the Travel Channel suggests Lefevre had ties to Spiritualism.

You can read the NY times articles (10/26, 10/27, 10/28) that cover George L. Lefevre of Muskegon, Michigan and Houdini’s condition that final week (10/25 – 11/1) at Tom Interval’s excellent website:

• http://www.houdinimuseum.org/articles/25-26.html

Pages 9 to 11 cover Houdini’s crusade against Rahman Bey, the fakir.

Next week, I will share Pages 12 to 14 which cover Houdini’s crusade against fake mediums.

Related:

• Houdini Souvenir Program Variants – 1925-26 season
• Houdini Souvenir Program Variants – 1926-27 season