Playing Queen for a Day!

Posted on May 11, 2014 by hhce

Cecilia Weiss, Houdini’s mother, in “Queen Victoria” dress (Photo courtesy of Marguerite Elliott)

One day, toward the end of January 1901, Houdini happened to notice an elegant gown displayed in the window of a London shop. When he stepped inside he learned that it had been designed for Queen Victoria, but she had died a few weeks before it was finished and hence never worn it. Seized by a sudden inspiration, Houdini persuaded the shopkeeper to sell it to him. He promptly wrote to his mother in New York, inviting her to join him in Europe.

They traveled to her native Budapest, where in Palm Gardens of the Royal Hotel, which Houdini had booked for the occasion, his mother held court wearing the gown designed for the Queen of England, while her son stood proudly at her side.

Was this really the dress designed for Queen Victoria, or was Houdini duped by the shopkeeper who sold it to him, or did he himself concoct the entire story? Does it really matter?

I hope everybody treats their mother like a Queen today.

H A P P Y M O T H E R S D A Y !

Source: Houdini: A Mind In Chains by Bernard C. Meyer, M.D.

Is Whitehead also found at Old McGill in 1927?

Posted on May 10, 2014 by hhce

J Gordon Whitehead’s name appears on the ARTS 29 list in the Old McGill 1927 Yearbook, but the guy we surmised was Gordon in the ARTS 28 group photo from the 1926 Yearbook, does not appear to be found in this ARTS 29 group photo. This sort of makes sense, since Gordon supposedly dropped out of school shortly after the Houdini incident; so it is possible his name still appeared as a student in 1927, but he wasn’t around for a photo.

Whitehead is Found at Old McGill in 1926

Posted on May 6, 2014 by hhce

Is the Whitehead above, the same Whitehead as the one below?

J. G. Whitehead

UPDATE: The answer is NO.

W. G. Whitehead real name is Wallace I. Whitehead and was from the ARTS ’27 class.

See the Don Bell book, The Man Who Killed Houdini, chapter 13 (A Brother Found) and page 246 for some more information on a possible connection between Wally and Gordon.

J.Gordon Whitehead was from the ARTS ’28 class, although he never graduated. He was born in Gourock Scotland November 25, 1895, graduated from Kelowna High School, British Columbia, in 1914, and dropped out of McGill in 1926, almost immediately after the Houdini incident.

Source: yearbooks.mcgill.ca

Special thanks to Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz for the tip that led me to find the McGill Yearbooks.

Another Spanish-language Master Mystery Ad

Posted on May 4, 2014 by hhce

Here is another Spanish-language Master Mystery Exhibitor Ad. This is a double-sided card-stock insert from Cine-Mundial, the Spanish-language version of Moving Picture World magazine.

The Main actor is Houdini

Produced by B A Rolfe

Authors are Arthur B. Reeve, C.A. Logue and John W. Grey

A series of Houdini is raising the viewer guessing

Action – Quick and sensational

Topic – Intense – Creepy

Acts of skill – Breathtaking

Uncertainty – Who keeps the interest in ever ascending scale

Emotions – That hurt and are quick to electrify the public

Release Date – Soon

Taken to the canvas by B. A. Rolfe, Inc

All foreign rights governed by EXPORT & IMPORT FILM CO., INC

The Girls From Beyond

Posted on April 27, 2014 by hhce

Here is a photo of Houdini in The Man From Beyond:

Chain Defies Houdini

Posted on April 27, 2014 by hhce

Last week, we looked at a couple famous photos published of Houdini surrounded by Girls. As promised, this week, I am sharing one that has rarely been seen.

Houdini, whose stage specialty is breaking out of things, with equally conspicuous success, broke into the movies, and had no way to break out. He can wriggle free of handcuffs, steamer trunks and packing cases, but here is a chain that defies him. Seemingly he is suffering no pangs of humiliation.

Anyone care to take a guess when this photo was taken?

Surrounded by Girls (and Rabbits)

Posted on April 20, 2014 by hhce

H A P P Y E A S T E R !

Above is one of the famous images of Houdini surrounded by girls (and rabbits) who performed in his road show. Can you identify any of the assistants in the photo? Which one is Dorothy Young? Bragging rights for anyone that can identify all of the assistants in the photo?

There is also a famous image of Houdini surrounded by the Christie Girls that can be seen here at John Cox Wild About Houdini site.

Next week, I will post a rarely seen image of Houdini surrounded by 9 girls that you won’t want to miss.

Is Hardeen Full of Ice?

Posted on April 13, 2014 by hhce

Like Houdini, his brother Hardeen has a story about Ice.

Police and Hardeen Prior to Ohio River Bridge Jump
[Photo: Life and History of Hardeen]

On September 26th, 1907, Hardeen allowed the Chief Police officials of Louisville, Kentucky, to securely fasten heavy handcuffs and leg irons on him. These weighed almost thirty-five pounds. So shackled, before a crowd of 15,000, he jumped into the Ohio River from the 18th Street Bridge which was 60 feet above the water. It looked like sure death but Hardeen released himself from the handcuffs as he sunk in the water about fifty feet below the Bridge, and made his triumphant re-appearance holding the cuffs high in the air.

Hardeen jumping from bridge into Ohio River
[Photo: Life and History of Hardeen]

He later repeated this feat many times, but on February 10th, 1908, he almost met death when he jumped into the Elizabeth River at Norfolk, Virginia, when the stream was full of ice.

As he hit the water he was working to release himself from his handcuffs according to his version, so did not note that they were two large pieces of ice floating down the water as he jumped. He hit one and was practically knocked unconscious, fell underneath the second one and when he tried to get to the surface of the river for air, still working to free himself, he came up under the ice. Not knowing the size of it, he sunk down and tried to reach the surface again. On his second attempt, he was successful, completed the escape and swam to shore. He had a large lump at the top of his head where he hit the ice when coming up, and one of his legs was badly cut from the piece of ice which he had originally hit.

Sources:

Life and History of Hardeen by Hardeen 1914
Hardeen Memorial Issue Conjurer’s Magazine July 1945

Did Houdini ever perform an overboard box escape in Pittsburg?

Today is Houdini’s Adopted Birthday

Posted on April 6, 2014 by hhce

April 6th is Historical!

Houdini’s adoption of April 6^th as his birthday will remain a mystery, although he explained in a letter [dated November 22, 1913] to his brother Theo that he would celebrate on April 6 because that was the day his mother acknowledged his birthday. It is interesting to note that by 1910 both Houdini and Bess knew with certainty that his actual birthday was on March 24. While in Australia that year, Bess gave Houdini an engraved watch as a birthday present.

FOR HARRY

Ever Houdini Remembering In Complete Happiness

BESS

3-24-10

Not only was his birth date correct, but Bess employed a code in the dedication as well. When you isolate the first letter of each word in the message, it spells out Harry’s real name E-H-R-I-C-H.

Sources:

Kalush, The Secret Life of Houdini
Letter- Walter B. Gibson, Original Houdini Scrapbook
Watch – Magicol, Number 87, May 1988

Lookout Mountain in Laurel Canyon

Posted on March 30, 2014 by hhce

Last Sunday, some of my Houdini colleagues and I went on “The Haunted Houdini Tour” of Los Angeles conducted by Richard Carradine, a renowned ghost hunter. See John Cox blog at Wild About Harry for a full report of the places we visited.

While discussing Houdini’s movie career, Richard Carradine showed a photograph of the site of the former Lookout Mountain Inn, that is just West of Laurel Canyon. On October 26, l9l8, disaster struck the Lookout Mountain and Laurel Canyon area when a fire, fanned by strong winds, burned about two hundred acres and totally destroyed the famous Lookout Mountain Inn.

Richard then displayed a movie still from the 1919 movie, The Grim Game, and compared it to the photograph above of Lookout Mountain.

Based on his familiarity with the area and the photographic evidence, Richard suspects that the Grim Game still was taken at the site of the former Lookout Mountain Inn.

On the tour, I confirmed his suspicion. That is, a plane had been positioned on the brow of Lookout Mountain so that, once inside, Houdini could be photographed against the sky as if in flight.

harryhoudinicircumstantialevidence.com

Harry Houdini Circumstantial Evidence

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