The story goes as follows:
Did Houdini’s father really make him swear to take care of Cecilia? Houdini said he did and lived accordingly. In that light, I regard the story as true.
Last month on Mother’s Day, I asked you treat your mother like a Queen; so today please treat your father like a King. Promise me.
Happy Father’s Day!
Is it true that Houdini never smoked?
While I don’t have a real photo of Houdini smoking, I do have some circumstantial evidence that he did:
On Monday 18th April, it was a cold and windless morning. As Houdini waited for final preparation to be made, he smoked a cigarette. This was highly unusual for Houdini and it indicated that he was nervous. He gave orders in a ‘quiet yet incisive manner’ and watched with a ‘critical though quite unmoved eye.’
At approximately 8 am he took off and made a flight lasting between three to four minutes which covered a few hundred meters. This marked the first officially recorded successful powered, controlled flight in New South Wales [Australia]. [Houdini’s Tour of Australia by Leann Richards]
After reading the above account, I searched for more evidence and was able to find a newspaper that documented this:
Houdini himself seemed the least perturbed of the party. Cooling smoking a cigarette, he watched preparations with a critical though quite unmoved eye. That he was taking an interest in the proceedings could be observed from the quiet yet incisive manner in which he ordered minor defects to be remedied. [The Sydney Morning Herald, Tuesday 19 April 1910, page 8.]
I also found the following:
Though personally frugal, and except on their anniversary, rarely known to join Bess in a glass of champagne, Houdini may have explored other mood-altering substances around the time he went to Hollywood. Will Goldston believed he sometimes partook of a ‘nip of opium’ of the kind widely available in Edwardian music-hall circles, if only for its analgesic properties. The drug may have numbed the pain of a damaged kidney and other health-related issues collected over the years, but, as with Bess’s drinking, it didn’t always produce a felicitous state. [Masters of Mystery by Christopher Sandford]
Does anyone else have knowledge or evidence of Houdini smoking or exploring mood-altering substances.?
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.
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?
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.
April 6th is Historical!
Houdini’s adoption of April 6th 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:
Happy Birthday Harry Houdini!
The evidence for Budapest, and the 24th March [140 years ago today], is incontrovertible, unless we assume a fantastic, elaborate forgery of the records. The house, the names of the midwife and godmother and the Rabbi who performed the circumcision rite, are recorded. Full details can be found in Milbourne Christopher’s wonderful Houdini: The Untold Story. [Abracadabra Saturday, 23rd March 1974]
And the final report on June 1, 1972 from the Houdini Birthdate research committee concludes that the evidence supports Budapest and recommends that henceforth March 24, 1874 – Budapest, Hungary be known as the official date and place of birth of Harry Houdini.
Happy Birthday Harry Houdini!
Houdini (in white circle), shackled in Pittsburgh steel, leaped into the Allegheny River from the original Seventh Street Bridge
Bruce Averbook Photo from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
I was intrigued by a recent post that John Cox at Wild About Harry did about Houdini being trapped under the ice. John discovered a telling of this story in Houdini’s own words where the location was Pittsburgh and it wasn’t a handcuffed bridge jump, but an overboard box escape. It made me wonder.
Well, as evidenced by the photo above, we know that Houdini (in white circle), shackled in Pittsburgh steel, leaped into the Allegheny River from the original Seventh Street Bridge and emerged free of the handcuffs. But this was not an overboard box escape. BTW, the bridge was torn down in 1924.
I searched the internet (i.e., blogs, articles, ads) and my Houdini books for other references to Houdini in Pittsburgh and this is what I came up with.
From the internet:
It is very hard to discern which facts of Houdini’s life (and death) are factual because there are so many myths about him (many of which were perpetuated by him). For example, Houdini claimed the he jumped into a hole carved out of ice on the Detroit River, freed himself of handcuffs, and went back up for air only to discover that the current had moved him away from the hole. He survived by breathing in air trapped between the ice and water and, at the last minute, the spirit of his dead mother guided him to the hole.
It is a great story but it never happened. The Detroit Free Press published a story refuting Houdini’s claim, noting that the Detroit River was not freezing on November 27, the day Houdini jumped. So Houdini changed his story, and then he changed it again, and again. Detroit became Pittsburgh, November became December, and so on. [October 31st 2013 History/Herstory blog]
From Kalush:
On March 13, [1908] before his jump off the Seventh Street Bridge in Pittsburgh, Houdini told a reporter from The Pittsburgh Leader that the day before the leap he sent a cable to Hardeen, who was doing similar act then in Europe, and the charges came to exactly $13. That same day Houdini’s mail consisted of 13 letters. He switched rooms at his hotel and the new room, was no. 26, divisible by 13. The letters contained 13 new challenges, the license plate of the auto that drove him to the bridge totaled up to 13, and the cinematographer who was filming the jump had exactly 1,300 feet of film in his camera.
“I feel nervous today,” Houdini said. “There is a goneness in my innards that isn’t pleasant.” He ate an apple to settle himself down, then dove. It was exactly 1:13.
“In a minute and half from the time, I struck the water I had freed myself and was ready to rise to the surface,” Houdini told the press. “Small boats were cruising about looking for me, and, as luck would have it, I came rushing up at great speed just underneath one of these crafts. So rapid was my ascent that in rising I hit my head a fearful blow…and sank back into the water again stunned and bleeding. When I struck that boat I thought of the thirteens of the day and concluded that it was up to me to battle for my life. Just when it seemed that all was over with me, I rose to the surface and willing hands dragged me to safety. It isn’t any fun taking your life in your hands. Really, I’m in earnest. If a fellow wasn’t married it would be a different thing, though even a single man oughtn’t to be hankering for chances to risk his life”
From an article by Clay Morgan titled, “Harry Houdini and Pittsburgh – the ties that bind”:
Around 40,000 Pittsburghers were treated to the nail-biting exhibition one century ago on March 13, 1908. Houdini stripped to his swimsuit, surrendered to tight manacles fashioned from Pittsburgh steel and leapt 40 feet from the original Seventh Street Bridge into the stinging Allegheny River waters. In a short while, his head bobbed up and vanished before he emerged for good, free and holding the conquered cuffs.
Houdini’s first Pittsburgh plunge came almost a year earlier, on May 22, 1907. A rare photo [seen above] from the time peers over the backs of spectators staring at the bridge in direction of the North Shore. In the background, filthy factories pour billows of smoke into the lunchtime sky over the crowed waterfront. To the right, onlookers crowd the rails of the bridge. Over a dozen boats linger in the water. In the center of it all is Houdini in mid-jump – dressed in a white bathing suit and falling, knees still up. In less than two minutes he rose from the murky stage.
However, his first trip to Pittsburgh was in November 1905, The Jewish Criterion wrote: “He defies anyone to come on the stage of the Grand next week and bind him successfully.”
The Grand Opera House hosted Houdini during his first visits to Pittsburgh from 1905-08. Intense buzz in 1906 created so many sell-outs that Houdini stayed a third week so everyone around town could have a chance to experience the mind-jarring show.
He returned to the Pittsburgh Grand in 1913 [most likely 1915] and brought influences from afar, the East Indian Needle Trick and the legendary Chinese Water Torture Chamber.
On Nov 6, 1916, Houdini escaped from a Straitjacket while hanging from the Pittsburgh Sun Building 50 feet in the air.
On Nov 7, 1916, Pittsburghers packed in the New Davis Theatre to see Houdini headline.
In October 1919 (as Congress outlawed alcohol), “The Grim Game” opened in theatres such as the Grand, Strand and Belmar. Houdini played Harvey Hanford, wrongfully accused of murder and desperate to escape.
Pittsburgh’s strict “blue laws” also outlawed movies and performances on Sundays, so Houdini won by grabbing the headline show on Saturday evenings. In Pittsburgh, he topped his buddies Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Tom Mix.
Over the final years of his life, Houdini dueled with Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Authur Conan Doyle, an avid supporter of spiritualism. The men took turns lecturing in Pittsburgh. Houdini spoke at the Carnegie Hall on Feb. 21, 1924. The following year he brought a full medium exposing show to the Davis Theater. Once again, Pittsburgh demand kept him in town an extra week.
Houdini’s final Pittsburgh show was at the Alvin Theatre in September of 1925.
From Koval:
Nov 1905: No reference to Houdini being at the Grand Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA
Sep 24-29 1906: Grand Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA
May 20-25 1907: Grand Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA
May 27 – Jun 1 1907: Grand Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA
Mar 9-14 1908: Grand Theatre, Detroit, MI [Note: Mar 13, 1908 jumps from bridge in Pittsburgh, PA]
Mar 16-21 1908: Grand Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA
Nov 13-18 1911: Grand Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA
Mar 8-13 1915: Grand Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA [Morgan article mentions 1913 as opposed to 1915]
Nov 6-11 1916: Davis Theatre, Pittsburgh PA
Mar 6-11 1922: Davis Theatre, Pittsburgh PA [No mention in Morgan article]
Feb 21 1924 (only): Carnegie Music Hall, Pittsburgh, PA
Feb 23-28 1925: Davis Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA
Sep 14-19 1925: Shubert Alvin Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA
From newspaper or magazine references:
Although, Houdini appeared in Pittsburgh many times during his career, it appears that he only hit the water twice (1907 and 1908), and both times they were bridge jumps not overboard box escapes.
I am hoping that somebody can prove me wrong and produce evidence that he really did do an overboard box escape during one of his visits to Pittsburgh.
My son wanted to surprise me with something Houdini related for Christmas. He was intrigued by a listing for a magic token from a shop, that Houdini was once president and owner [1919]. He did some more research, found 3 other Martinka magic tokens for sale and got the best looking one which turned out to be quite unique:
Martinka issued the first palming tokens in the late 19 century. Not gimmick’d or gaffed in any way, it was designed simply to be easier to palm and show up well when performing. Over the years they issued multiple designs (LT, AH L/LT, D/D, V/V, Dash 1/Dash 2) and sizes in various materials (Gold, Brass, Copper, White Metal, Aluminum). You can determine the design by what letter the right hand is below. In the D design, the hand is below the D of DECIPI, but a little to the left.
This half dollar D/D design shows a conjurer (Hermann?) standing astride the top of the world, producing a profusion of objects from the end of the wand in his right hand and from a top hat in his left hand, while around the edge of the field is the legend “MUNDUS VULT DECIPI: DECIPIATUR”. The reverse bears the same design. The Latin phrase translates as: “The world wants to be deceived: let it be deceived”.
This brass coin covered with a thin gold wash was issued by Martinka. It is quite scarce and has a story attached to it:
The gold washed tokens appear to have been produced for, or at least used by a professional magician, Frederick Eugene Powell. Since they were the D/D type they were made later than the others. One of the tricks in which Powell used them employed a picture frame suspended in the air by cords. The frame had glass front and back and nothing between. Five gold tokens held in his hands vanished one at a time, immediately reappearing visibly between the sheets of glass. FWK, Jr. acquired this frame and it still had three of the gold pieces in it. Edgar Heyl acquired his example from the late Dr. Eugene L. Bulson of Fort Wayne. Many years ago Dr. Bulson bought three of them in mint condition from the Martinkas, so it is obvious this issue could also be considered a commercial production. [The Martinka Magic Tokens by Edgar Heyl and F. William Kuethe, Jr.]
Houdini performed Robert Houdin’s Crystal Casket, in which five coins disappeared from Houdini’s hands and reappeared one at a time, with loud “clinks”, in a small glass casket which was hanging above the stage. [Culliton]
What was Houdini’s relationship to Frederick Eugene Powell:
I hope you liked the story of this Martinka Magic Token; I know I enjoyed receiving it and researching it.
Update: Another F. E. Powell gold-plated Martinka token in similar condition just sold February 8th 2014 at Potter & Potter Auctions for $360.00 (includes 20% premium).
2013 was an amazing year for Harry Houdini Circumstantial Evidence (HHCE) for a number of reasons:
Participated in an exchange of ideas regarding the life of Harry Houdini and his enduring effect on modern history with John Cox, Patrick Culliton, Arthur Moses, and Stacey Zimmerman.
Shared a number of not widely known facts about the Houdini movie starring Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh:
Buffalo Evening News November 21, 1913 clipping courtesy of Bill Mullins
Researched and shared evidence WRT when Houdini may have first publicly performed his suspended strait-jacket escape from a building, as well as where he got the idea from:
Acquired a signed limited edition Grim Game Three Dimensional Giclée Print by Disney Artist Dave Avanzino:
Photo courtesy of Marc Wanamaker, Bison Archives
Discovered several rare behind the scenes shots from The Grim Game in the book, Aviators in Early Hollywood by Shawna Kelly:
Discovered the true identity of the police reporter in The Grim Game:
Shared some incredible Grim Game ads and not widely known info about Houdini and the movie:
Shared some incredible Master Mystery ads and not widely known info about Houdini and the movie:
Shared research on how many times Houdini’s bust was replaced:
Shared memories and ads from Houdini Magical Hall of Fame:
Shared Houdini’s last message to the American public:
Shared Houdini’s connection with the last days of the Father of American Music (Stephen Foster):
Mentioned numerous times by John Cox at his Wild About Harry (Houdini) blog and Facebook pages:
And last but not least, my daughter had a baby girl, my son got engaged, and I survived a heart-attack. I am truly blessed and look forward to 2014.
In 2014, I will start the New Year by sharing some new information I came across about the Mirror Handcuff Challenge. You won’t want to miss it. See you next year!