Last week, I shared Day 4 (Ken Trombly) of my incredible Houdini Adventure on the East Coast, made possible by my friend and tour guide, Fred Pittella.

Today, I share Day 5 (11/4), where Fred Pittella, John Cox and I got to track down Houdini locations in Baltimore and explore the Houdini exhibit at the Jewish Museum of Maryland (JMM), before John Cox gave his Houdini in Hollywood talk and screened The Grim Game at the JMM.

HOUDINI IN BALTIMORE

At the corner of Charles Street and Baltimore, we found the location where the Sun Building would have been where Houdini did his suspended straitjacket escape on April 26, 1916.

We then found what turned out to be the site of the Kernan Hotel (where Houdini may have stayed) now Apartments, and a theatre complex that consisted of the Maryland (where Houdini played in 1905, 1907, 1912, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1922, 1925) now gone,

the Auditorium (where Houdini played in 1906) partially standing

and the Academy of Music (where Houdini played in 1925) now gone.

For more details and information, check out John Cox post:

• Discovering Houdini’s Baltimore

Next stop, the Jewish Museum of Maryland (JMM) for their Houdini exhibition, John’s talk on Houdini in Hollywood and the screening of The Grim Game.

EXHIBITION INESCAPABLE: THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF HARRY HOUDINI

The exhibition Inescapable: The Life and Legacy of Harry Houdini is currently on display through January 19, 2019

It is a must see.  It covers the life of Harry Houdini from birth to death via films, rare artifacts and hands-on illusions.

It covers the early years including: Mayer Samuel & Cecilia Steiner in Budapest, Birth of Erik Weisz, Rabbi Weiss Ordination, Arriving in America, Appleton (1878-1882), Milwaukee (1882–1886), Running away from home, NYC (1887-1892), Dime Museums, Medicine Shows, Brothers Houdini, Metamorphosis, 1893 World’s Fair, Coney Island, Meeting Bess, Welsh Bros Circus, and Vaudeville.

It then covers Martin Beck, Challenges, and Houdini the Self Liberator AKA the Master Mystifier, Jailbreaker, King of Cards, America’s Sensational Perplexer, Handcuff King, Europe’s Eclipsing Sensation, and Genius of Escapes (e.g., Milk Can, Water Torture Cell and Straitjacket).

This is followed by Houdini the Film star,

Exposing Fraudulent Spirit Mediums,

The Final Bow & Curtain Call and Houdini in Maryland.

Thanks to everyone at the Jewish Museum of Maryland and all of the collectors for this incredible gift, truly an amazing display of artifacts and history.

HOUDINI IN HOLLYWOOD AND THE GRIM GAME

At 1pm, John was introduced by David London, the curator for the exhibition.

John then proceeded to give an excellent talk and presentation on Houdini in Hollywood.

He told the amazing story of Houdini’s involvement in early cinema, which included Houdini filming many of his outdoor escapes and showing them at the start of his vaudeville acts. John covered his films: Houdini Defeats Hackenschmidt (1906), Merveilleux Exploits du Celebre Houdini a Paris (1909), The Master Mystery (1918), The Grim Game (1919), Terror Island (1920), The Man From Beyond (1922), Haldane of the Secret Service (1923) and Velvet Fingers (1925-26). John also mentioned Houdini’s motion picture companies: Houdini Picture Corporation, Film Developing Corporation and the Mystery Pictures Corporation. Attendees were treated to dozens of rare photos and film clips of the legendary Harry Houdini in “Action!”, including the recently discovered lost overboard box footage from Terror Island.

John ended his presentation with a thank you.

Next was the 2 pm screening of The Grim Game, starring Harry Houdini.

Echoing John’s words, “Being able to see The Grim Game is now a rare treat. The movie never materialized on DVD and has never repeated on TCM. So it remains the hardest of all of Houdini’s movies to see.”

Everyone who attended were not disappointed, they were treated to something truly special.

Cheers to Houdini and John Cox for a job well-done!

CONCLUSION

Thank You to Fred Pittella, John Cox and everyone at the Jewish Museum of Maryland for making this such a memorable day.

Last week, I shared Day 3 (Houdini Museum NY, Kevin Connolly, 278, and The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini) of my incredible Houdini Adventure on the East Coast, made possible by my friend and tour guide, Fred Pittella. Today, I share Day 4 (11/3), where Fred had made arrangements to visit another major Houdini collector, Ken Trombly in Bethesda.

Fred picked me up in my hotel in New York and we were on our way.  But before we got to Ken’s place, we made a few stops along the way.

The first stop was Houdini’s Film Development Lab in Union City, New Jersey. It once housed Houdini’s workshop and his ill-fated Film Developing Corporation. It is now known as the Houdini building and is part of Hudson River Studios. There is even a picture of Houdini inside the front door.

Next stop was lunch at a road-side travel stop, before heading to the Baltimore Airport to pick up another Houdini Nut, John Cox, who was coming into town to give his Houdini in Hollywood talk and screen The Grim Game the next day (11/4) at the Jewish Museum of Maryland, where the exhibition, Inescapable: The Life and Legacy of Harry Houdini, is currently on display through January 19, 2019.

Fred and I brought John up to date on Days 1, 2, and 3 of our Houdini adventure, as we traveled to Ken’s place.

When we arrived at Ken’s beautiful home, we were greeted by Ken and his son’s new dog that was only about 6 months old.

Ken’s formidable collection was overwhelming. I feel like we only got to scratch the surface of what he has. It is a researcher’s paradise.

The highlight for me was seeing a Master Mystery Pressbook. Wow! I can now say that I have seen Pressbooks for The Grim Game, Terror Island, Man From Beyond, Haldane and now Master Mystery. I also enjoyed seeing a “Houdini Herald” that promotes the Master Mystery.  Wow!

Later, we got to meet Ken’s wife and thank her for letting a few more Houdini Nuts besides Ken in her lovely home.

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

We left Bethesda and drove to Baltimore and ended Day 4 by going out for a late Italian dinner and then checked into our Hotel so we could rest up for the next days festivities. To be continued…

Last week, I shared Day 2 (George Goebel) of my incredible Houdini Adventure on the East Coast, made possible by my friend and tour guide, Fred Pittella. Today, I share Day 3 (11/2), where Fred had made arrangements to visit two major Houdini collectors, Roger Dreyer at the Houdini Museum of NY and Kevin Connolly of NJ; Our friend John Cox had made arrangements to see 278; And I had made arrangements to see The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini by Cynthia Von Buhler. Holy smokes, all of this in one day, we must be nuts.

HOUDINI MUSEUM OF NEW YORK

Fred picked me up at my hotel in the morning and off we went. First stop, Houdini Museum of NY. The museum is located in the City’s premier magic store, Fantasma Magic, which is located at 213 West 35th St. They are on the 4th floor, so just take the elevator up and take a left when you get off!

One of the first things I noticed when I walked in was one of Houdini’s Gravesite busts and an original Grim Game Poster on the wall, behind it.

Upon closer inspection, this turns out to be the bust, that was stolen in August, 1983 and recovered in March 2002.

And to the left of the front door, you couldn’t help but notice, Q the Robot from the Master Mystery and an original poster from Episode Nine of the 15-part serial. (Note: Roger Dreyer had limited edition numbered Glicee’s made from the original poster; I got number 5).

The beautiful replica of the robot was made my John Gaughan, the mastermind behind many of the world’s most famous stage illusions.

Fred and I looked around the museum and were entertained by a young magician, while we waited for Roger.

As soon as Roger showed up, he immediately gave Fred and I the VIP tour of the museum.

On display, was an interesting page from Hardeen’s notes for an unpublished Houdini biography, stating that Houdini was born April 6, 1874 and was named Ehrich Prach after Prince Ehrich (who his father killed in a dule).  It also had a different account of the genesis of the infamous bullet lodged in Houdini’s left hand; Houdini’s own account was that he was shot by gamblers. Hardeen’s account has Houdini becoming a jockey, riding horses, mules and accidently getting shot in the palm of his left hand.

Roger recently acquired a couple lamps that were said to be from Houdini’s bedroom.

Also on display was one of Houdini’s Original Metamorphosis Substitutions Trunk and Houdini’s Original Escape 1907 Escape Coffin.

Roger then gave us the behind the scenes tour of the back room and office, where he pulled out all kinds of goodies that most people don’t get to see. This included some unpublished photos and candid images from his movies, that I had not seen before.

And speaking of movies, Kevin Connolly’s mighty collection was next and it was later than we thought. So, we took a picture with Q and said our good-byes.

What a blast, we had hanging out with Roger. I highly recommend the experience. Roger, his museum, magic shop and staff are all first rate. Thank You!

KEVIN CONNOLLY

I thought this day would never happen, but thanks to Fred, it was about to. I had dreamed of this day ever since I purchased my first Houdini Fix from Kevin years ago.

We pulled up to Kevin’s place at exactly 1:26 pm and were met by Kevin and his lovely wife Susan.  Come to find out that Susan knows her Houdini stuff and has given lectures on Houdini; she also plays a role in the collecting as well. Who knew?

I was given free reign, to explore the walls, bookcases, and cabinets in the study.  Of course, a number of things caught my eye, like the Russian pitchbook, Hungarian pitchbook with Master Mystery images, lobby cards from Houdini movies, and of course the largest collection of tobacco cards. Wow!

And speaking of movies again, Kevin had me sit at the dining room table, where he brought out the pressbook of all pressbooks.  It was the Haldane of the Secret Service pressbook, which may be the only one in existence.  It was about three times the size of any other Houdini Pressbook.

Kevin just kept bringing out binder after binder of photos, letters, playbills, and programs, including the letters on monkey gland research.  It was all a lot to digest, but so cool to see and experience.

Just wanted to say thank you to Kevin and Susan for the Houdini Fix of all Houdini Fixes.  Spending time with them was a real treat and honor.  Their hospitality and generosity in sharing their treasures is something I will always remember.

278

My last trip to NY, I ran out of time, and didn’t get to visit 278, which has been on my bucket list for quite some time. Was the same thing going to happen again? The answer was No.

278 was sold to new owners, who are currently in the process of undertaking the large job of restoring the brownstone and have been keeping John Cox up to date on the progress. John Cox arranged for Fred and I to get a sneak-peak at the work being done.  What a treat!

We arrived at 5 pm and got to explore this amazing place inside and out and top (roof) to bottom (basement) for over an hour.

Thank You to John and the new owners for making this dream come true.

THE GIRL WHO HANDCUFFED HOUDINI

And if 278 wasn’t enough, we still had VIP tickets waiting for us at the Theatre 80 to see Cynthia Von Buhler’s play, The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini. The trick was to get from 278 to Theatre 80 in time. Well, Fred is a New Yorker and knew how to drive and navigate his way through the busy streets of New York. He dropped me off in front of theatre around 7ish to get the tickets, while he tried to find a place to park in the city. I got our Passports for the show and was told that as VIP members, we needed to meet outside at 7:15 pm for something special.  Well, in all of the excitement going on in, realized we hadn’t had anything to eat all day and there were selling slices of pizza across the street.  As I was crossing the street, I was surprised to see Fred walking. He actually found a parking spot. We each woofed down a couple slices of pizza and a bottle of water before rushing to the show, where we were escorted up a flight of stairs.

I took a seat at Margery’s séance table next to someone who introduced herself as “Minky, she sat on one side of Margery and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle sat on the other side of Margery.

After a private séance with Margery, I walked down to the main theater with Cynthia Von Buhler herself for a front-row seat to see the Great Houdini.

There are a number of different characters you could follow (Houdini, wife Bess Houdini, spiritualist Margery, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, puncher J. Gordon Whitehead, assistant Jim Collins, students Jack Price and Smilowitz, Houdini’s lawyer, or medical staff, or the exciting, sexy but more fictional character Minky Wookcock) depending on your passport. Fred and I followed Houdini throughout the evening as the story leading up to Houdini’s mysterious death unfolded. Fred even got to say a few words on Houdini’s behalf at his funeral.

The production was well researched and offered a meticulously detailed slice of history. It was truly a work of genius and the cast was amazing.

Afterwards, Fred and I got our books signed and each of us took a photo with Cynthia Von Buhler, the creator of this beautiful work of art.  Thank You Cynthia for the VIP treatment.

What an incredible Day 3. To be continued…

Last week, I shared Day 1 (Official Houdini Séance Experience) of my incredible Houdini Adventure on the East Coast, made possible by my friend and tour guide, Fred Pittella. Today, I share Day 2 (11/1), where Fred had made arrangements to visit George Goebel and his lovely wife, Carole.

First off let me just say, it is not that easy finding their place, nor is it easy for them to have visitors, but they welcomed Fred, Linda and I with open arms.

For those that don’t know who George Goebel is, let me share a little bit about this extraordinary gentleman.

From Magicpedia:

George Goebel (b. 1932), was a costumier in Baltimore and semi-professional illusionist with large full-evening show starting in the late 1960s to the early 1980s.

His interest in magic began at the age of 10 when he received a Gilbert Mysto Magic Set one Christmas.

Two years after high school, Goebel enlisted in the Army Security Agency and was stationed in Japan. As owner of A.T. Jones Co. in Baltimore he has outfitted many shows and operas.

He married Carole Busby, a social worker, in 1957, who worked onstage as his assistant.

Goebel assembled the “George Goebel Magic Show” in 1968, with a cast of 30 and 60 crates of illusions, travelling aboard a 22-foot truck.

He came to national attention when his friend Milbourne Christopher invited him to appear with him on Jackie Gleason’s 1962 Christmas special. He also appeared again with Christopher on a subsequent Gleason show, on “The Garry Moore Show” and in a Houdini documentary.

George and Carole touched our hearts from the moment we first met. This visit was as special to them as it what to us. Carole welcomed us to their charming home with champagne and orange juice as we got comfortable in the living room. And George got dressed up for the occasion and had so much he wanted us to experience.

George kept saying, I think you might find something you might like in that box, notebook, or cabinet.  It seemed to bring as much joy to George as it did to Fred and I, seeing us experience these Houdini treasures. George even had me break the seals (in fact he insisted) on some items (e.g., envelope with billets folded by Houdini), just so I could hold something that Houdini Himself did. It was all so surreal.

While I can’t share the details of everything, we got to see and experience, I can share that we got to see and read postcards from Houdini to his Sister Carry (sometimes spelled Carrie).

We then went to the dining room, where Houdini Himself greeted us.

Carole brought in a platter of delicious sandwiches to enjoy, along with a variety of cheesecakes to choose from.

George then had us continue to go thru his treasures, including rare posters (like the Wintergarten poster he purchased for $25 in the 1950’s), playbills and books (some annotated and signed by “Harry Handcuff Houdini”).

Fred also got his fix of cuffs while he was there, including a wooden pair with the “HH” stamp on it.

I also got to read ‘Challenged’ or ‘Houdini upside down’, a play in 1 act and 2 scenes by Harry Houdini.

I was like a kid in a candy shop, although, I think George was the biggest kid of all. I will never forget the joy on his face or the time we had together; it was truly something very special we all shared.

Although we didn’t want our time with George and Carole to end, we needed to get on the road to head back to Fred and Linda’s place (aka Fred Pittella’s Houdini & Escapes Museum) in New York.

After a nice drive and great conversation, we arrived at their place in New York.

This was to be my second visit here, where every wall, display cabinet and trunk were filled with Houdini, Hardeen, and Competitors memorabilia. Fred by far has the largest and best collection of escape king memorabilia that I have ever seen.

To read about my first visit, please click on the link below”

• Trip to New York is Extra Special

The second visit was just as special and would allow me additional time to go through Fred’s albums of rare photos, letters, playbills, and programs, but not before Fred, Linda and I went out and enjoyed an incredible Italian dinner.

After gnocchi & meatballs for appetizers, cheese raviolis as an entrée and the restaurants signature dessert, we returned to Fred Pittella’s Houdini & Escapes Museum, where Fred shared a book, he recently acquired that had handwritten notes in it that provided more evidence of Houdini possibly having an affair with Charmian London. Wow!

Well as you can imagine, it was getting quite late (lost track of time) and Fred had quite the agenda planned for the next part (Day 3) of our adventure.  To be continued…

So far, I have only posted teaser photos from each day (10/31-11/3 and 11/4) of my extra special trip to the East Coast.

Today, I plan to share the 10/31 Official Houdini Experience, which will be the first of a number reports describing my incredible Houdini Adventure on the East Coast, made possible by my friend and tour guide, Fred Pittella, as well as others that I will mention as we take a ride on this journey.

This year, The Official Houdini Seance was in Baltimore Maryland at the Jewish Museum of Maryland, where the exhibition, Inescapable: The Life and Legacy of Harry Houdini, is currently on display through January 19, 2019.

I flew in on the day of the Séance, checked in to my hotel, and then walked to the museum, where I met fellow Houdini Nuts, Fred Pittella, Arthur Moses and their significant others sitting in the front row, just prior to the PROGRAM OF EVENTS starting:

WELCOME by Marvin Pinkert, Executive Director, Jewish Museum of Maryland

INTRODUCTION TO THE EVENING by Thomas Boldt

COLLECTING HOUDINI by Ken Trombly

Ken shared a treasure from his collection that documented the fact that one of Houdini’s spiritualist enemies, slate-writer Pierre Keeler, was proven to be charlatan with the help of Bess Houdini’s niece Julia Sawyer. She showed up in Lily Dale NY, a hot-bed of spiritualists, and had Keeler communicate with dead relatives that didn’t exist, exposing him as a fraud.

HOUDINI AMONG THE SPIRITS by Arthur Moses

Arthur brought two programs for the séance table.  One titled: HOUDINI, “Can the Dead Speak to the Living” and the other, Spooks! Spooks! “Can the Dead Speak?”.

The question was asked, instead of the dead speaking to the living, can the living speak to the dead? Houdini wanted to believe you could make contact with the other side but he knew these Spiritualist Mediums were all charlatans and frauds. So now that Houdini is on the other side, can he come back to our side and be with us.

After Ken and Arthur spoke, the audience was given the chance to ask a couple questions.  These included a debate about whether Houdini was a spy. Arthur was ambivalent, but said if you were really going to put him on the spot, he would say No. Ken commented that there is circumstantial evidence that Ehrich Weiss (aka Houdini) maybe had access to certain things and shared certain things, but could say no more, otherwise he would have to kill us, everybody laughed.

There was also a question about the difference between Spiritualism and Spiritism. Arthur suggested looking at it as the same thing.  And David London commented that the two words are used interchangeably.

HOUDINI LOCKS by Fred Pittella

Fred has been fascinated with Houdini and Handcuffs since he was 12 years old. And has been part the séance for over 20 years.  He is a handcuff expert.

He shared a brief history of Houdini and the handcuff act.

He mentioned the 5 special handcuffs, the Russian Manacle (SAM collection), Letter Cuff (private collection in Michigan), Bell Cuff (location unknown since it was traded for plumbing work done in their home), Hungarian Handcuff (owned by Bill Radner), Mirror Handcuff (David Copperfield Collection).

Also talked about the Bean Giant, “Jumpers”, “King breakers”, Houdini’s 1907 Handcuffs Secrets book, and the Defiance Handcuff Act.

And last but not least he shared the pair of cuffs that Houdini taught his fox terrier dog, “Bobby” how to escape from.

Houdini was the man that nothing on earth could hold.

INTERLUDE

Fred Pittella showed me the cuffs that Houdini’s dog, Bobby, used to escape from; in fact, he let me hold them, which was quite an honor.

I was able to take Fred Pittella’s vacated seat in the front row, since Fred was going to be on stage sitting at the Séance table as an Inner Circle member.

PRESENTATION OF THE SÉANCE HANDCUFFS by Bill Radner

Bill shared that Houdini died on October 31^st, 1926 and they didn’t expect him to make it that long. They expected him to pass away two or three days sooner, but he wanted to die on Halloween.

Bill then introduced three special items for the séance table: The Séance Cuff, which Houdini said he would open after he died; The Bean Giant Cuff that Houdini challenged imitators with; and an adjustable key from Houdini’s personal collection.

THE OFFICIAL HOUDINI SÉANCE conducted by Medium Maggie Salter

Nine members (Bill Radner, Tom Boldt, Arthur Moses, Ken Trombly, Bruce Averbook, Fred Pittella, Robert Somerdin, Midge Markey, and David London) of The Inner Circle took their seats at the table, followed by special guest, Debbie Hardeen (Houdini’s grand-niece) and then Medium Maggie Salter.

Maggie alternately reported feeling very hot and very cold, having a dry throat and the feeling that she was being contacted.

Maggie noted the image of a hollowed-out book; later Bruce seated at the table asked Maggie for more info about the book, which led to discovering that a number of collectors at the table have unpublished Houdini manuscripts in their collection.

Someone kicked over a plastic cup. Maggie confirmed that was not Houdini.

Midge seated at the table noted that the pages of one of the programs fluttered three different times. Could have been the A/C or someone at the table breathing heavy?

Maggie made references to a Rose Garden. Might this refer to Bess and Harry’s song, Rosie Sweet Rosabel?

After about 45 minutes, the séance concluded with Bill thanking the medium for trying, but concluded that Houdini did not make an appearance this evening.  Maybe next year.

FINALE by Harley Newman, Escape Artist (Allentown, PA)

Harley produced three tennis balls from his mouth (my personal favorite), swallowed a sword that I pulled out of his mouth, escaped from chains, and after a couple tries, successfully balanced atop a single metal spike.  Fantastic!!!

After the program was over, Fred Pittella, took my program and got it signed by all the members of the inner circle, which I greatly appreciated.

After posing for pictures in the Houdini exhibit, we then went to a near-by hotel, had drinks, appetizers and great conversation. Everyone made me feel welcome.  I especially enjoyed meeting Debbie Hardeen, as well as the conversation I had with Tom Boldt about Houdini’s movies.

What an incredible Halloween and this was only day 1 of my East Coast adventure. Fred Pittella had lots more planned for us.

Last week, I posted some teaser photos during my HHCE East Coast Trip that covered, 10/31, 11/1, 11/2 and 11/3.

Today, I was hoping to have a report on my 10/31 Official Houdini experience, but just had too many other things to attend to when I returned to the West Coast.

So for today, I am going to share some teaser photos from the last day (11/4) of my HHCE East  Coast Trip.

Hopefully, next week, I can share the 10/31 Official Houdini Experience, which will be the first of a number reports describing my incredible Houdini Adventure on the East Coast, made possible by my friend and tour guide, Fred Pittella, as well as others that I will mention as we take a ride on this journey.

On November 1st, 2018, Dorothy Dietrich, possibly the first woman to perform the Houdini broken wand ceremony, discovered that his historical monument is developing cracks.

Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz (D&D) best guess is that water got in, froze and created cracks.

The Society of American Magicians has been notified and they are proceeding with plans to address the issue.

The following are some teaser photos of my East Coast Trip so far:

10/31

11/1

11/2

11/3

Detailed report(s) to follow starting next week after I return to the West Coast.

Houdini in Milwaukee, has come up a couple times in the past month.

1. John Cox at WildAboutHoudini shared that Wisconsin Researcher and writer Larry Widen contributed a very well researched article called “Houdini in Milwaukee: The Forgotten Years.” to the Mystifier (First Quarter 1995 newsletter of Houdini Historical Center).
2. And Glen Gerard at Kevin Connolly’s Facebook group CONJURING HISTORY – BUY, SELL AND TALK shared Newspaper ads for various Houdini appearances in Milwaukee.

So, I thought I would share what I found in The Magazine of the Milwaukee County Historical Society, Spring 1995 that I recently acquired.

You will notice that Larry Widen wrote a 12-page article, titled Houdini: Manacled in Milwaukee. The shorter article in the Mystifier appears to be a modified/condensed version of this longer article.

Both articles have the Weiss family in Milwaukee from 1883 [1882] to 1887.

The Milwaukee History article mentions that:

On October 28, 1883, he asked to perform in Jack Hoefler’s Five-Cent Circus. Seeing the value of the local boy on the bill, the circus advertised the nine-year-old as “Erich, The Prince of Air”.

The Milwaukee History article includes an interesting paragraph that lists various addresses for Houdini in Milwaukee:

With future employment options in Appleton looking dim, Weiss and his wife Cecilia moved their family to Milwaukee in 1883 [1882]. Upon their arrival in the city, the family resided at 712 Winnebago Street (now 708 West Winnebago).  Weiss began a Hebrew school in their home, but the effort was short-lived.  Ehrich and his younger brother Theo worked as bootblacks and sold newspapers to help support the household. Subsequent addresses for the Weiss family included 719 Prairie (725 West Highland), 593 5th Street (1743 North 5th Street), 517 Cherry Street (523 West Cherry Street), and 613 Cherry Street (619 West Cherry Street)

Note: The above infamous 1886 postcard that Ehrich sent his mother, “I am going to Galveston, Texas” was sent to 517 Sixth Street [Is this the same as 517 Cherry Street?].

I am assuming the house at North 7th Street and West Highland Avenue depicted above was the 719 Prairie address.

The Milwaukee History article also confirms the name of dime museum suspected in the Mystifier article:

One evening in 1885, an elegantly garbed gentleman billed as “The Bloodless Vivisectionist” was performing at Jacob Litt’s dime museum.

Both articles (i.e., Mystifier and Milwaukee History) refer to Ehrich as being eleven years old, when he witnessed the magic act, “The Bloodless Vivisectionist” that changed his life; however based on the source for the performance dated February 22, 1885, Ehrich would have technically been only 10 and wouldn’t turn 11 until March 24, 1885.

The Milwaukee History article then goes on to trace the rest of Houdini’s career from 1888 (when he rejoined family in NY) to 1926 (when he died on Halloween), with emphasis on when Houdini returned to Milwaukee (November 1892, December 1896, October 1897, April 1912, and September 1923).

BONUS:

Also included in the Milwaukee History, The Magazine of the Milwaukee County Historical Society, Spring 1995 was the Ordination Certificate for Mayer Samuel Weiss:

When the family moved to Milwaukee, Rabbi Mayer Samuel Weiss filed a copy of his rabbinical credentials with the Milwaukee County Register of Deeds. Originally written in old German script, the translation above was prepared by Kurt P. Frenzel of Mequon, Wisconsin, from the ordination file housed in the Society’s Library.

In 2016, our friend and expert on Houdini in Milwaukee, David Saltman, actually discovered the rare artifact in an uncatalogued stack of old papers in the vaults of the Milwaukee County Historical Society. For more information on Houdini in Milwaukee and to see this original certificate in German, check out David Saltman’s excellent blog, The Houdini File:

• HOUDINI FILE DISCOVERS RARE ARTIFACT!

On John Cox’ blog wildabouthoudini.com, he invited readers to come hear him talk about Houdini crusade against fraudulent spirit mediums at the Homestead Museum “Ticket to the Twenties”.

So last Sunday, at the Ticket to the Twenties, I had the honor to hear John Cox talk about Houdini Among the Spirits, and as an added bonus got to meet award winning composer, Michael Mortilla, and see him conduct a live accompaniment to two Silent Film shorts.

The festivities started with me arriving at the Homestead Museum just in time to get a ticket for the 3:15 Silent Film Screening with Composer Michael Mortilla.

Michael Mortilla is no stranger to Houdini.  He scored the music for The Master Mystery Video Release and was recently commissioned to score “Terror Island” live for the Catalina Island Museum (Casino Theater).

Michael was introduced and then proceeded to do what he does best.

After the two shorts, I got to chat with Michael about my involvement with the Houdini Exhibit, Terror Island Screening and our mutual friends (Julie Perlin Lee and Jessica Zumberge) at the Catalina Island Museum.  We talked about him using his improvisational skills on Houdini’s Silent Movie the Grim Game in the future. I gave him my business card for my blogsite and he gave me his brochure and a copy of his Modern Piano Improvisations Volume 1 CD.

Next on the agenda (4:00pm) was John Cox first talk.

John shared the story of Houdini and his crusade against fraudulent spirit mediums in the 1920’s. He used four posters as visual aids, which was very effective. And as promised he shared publicly for the first time, something he recently discovered hiding in plain sight in the well-known spirit photograph.  But to find out what that is, you will have to read about it on John’s post he did after the event:

• Haunting the “Tickets to the Twenties” festival.

That said, he also shared something unusual about the photo with Margery, the Witch of Lime Street, that I can share. Did you notice the numbers on the door?  Margery lived at 10 Lime Street not 11 Lime Street.

John commanded the stage during the 20 minute presentation and 10 minute Q&A.  It was obvious, he knew his stuff.  Questions ranged from the Under the Ice story to the Magic Castle Fire on Halloween.

Afterwards, John and I took a photo with the spirit photograph, got dinner, walked around and checked out the vintage cars.

John then took the stage (6:00pm) for round 2 and he knocked it out of the park, again.

What a great day!!!