Last week, I shared the Houdini Souvenir Program variants from the 1925-26 season. Reproductions can be found on eBay or from Geno Munari’s Houdini’s Magic shop.

But The 1926-27 Houdini Souvenir Program is a different story. AFAIK, a reproduction has not been published and originals are rare. That said, I am fortunate enough to have an original in my collection.

So what changed in the 1926-27 Houdini Souvenir Program from the 1925-26 program? Well before we get to that, let’s look at what is similar.

They both include a Houdini Biography, but the section Some of the Wonderful Feats Accomplished by Houdini has been rearranged in a different order with some additional sub-headings (i.e., ADDITIONAL EXPLOITS, WIDE RANGE OF HOUDINI’S MYSTERIES) but the content is essentially the same.  That said, the photos from his movies have been removed.  The section HOUDINI’S GREATEST THRILL has also been rearranged in a different order with some additional sub-headings (i.e., HOUDINI’S PERSONAL EXERTIONS PUZZLE MANY, LECTURER AND MEMBER OF SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEES) but the content is basically the same. That said, the photo of Mrs. Harry Houdini is different.

The section Houdini Reveals He “Reads” Minds is similar.

The June 18, 1925 NYC Police Academy Letter and photo is the same.

The section Magical Tricks and Illusions How to Perform Them by Houdini [15 tricks] has been condensed in a section now called Houdini Magic for Your Spare Moments [11 tricks].

The full-page CHALLENGE TO ANY MEDIUM IN THE WORLD and A Few Personal Facts Section is not found in the 1926-27 program.

So what new material is in the 16-page 1926-27 program? Pages 9 thru 14 is where the new material (1926 Newspaper Editorials on Crusades of Houdini) appears.

Page 9 has an editorial, titled Panic and Poison from the San Diego Union, August 7, 1926.

Page 10 has two editorials. One titled Houdini At It Again from New York, World, Aug 7, 1926 and one titled A Dispeller of Humbug from New York Herald-Tribune, Aug 9, 1926.

Page 11 also has two editorials, plus a letter from the clergy.  One editorial titled, The Indispensable Houdini By Arthur Capper (U.S. Senator from Kansas) from The Topeka Daily Capital August 13, 1926 and the other titled A Valuable Citizen from The News Scimatar, Memphis, Tenn Tuesday August 10, 1926.  The letter is from the Second Congregational Church (Unitarian) Organized 1715 Marblehead, Mass.

Page 12 has an article titled Houdini A Modern Crusader, Does Not Combat Religion, But Fights the Charlatans Who Prey Upon the Gullible.

Page 13 has two articles.  One article titled Houdini Seeks Genuine Medium, Discovery Will Amply Repay Him for Years Spent in Search and the other titled National Spiritualistic Association Ordained Minister Confesses Trickery After Thirty Years of Mediumship.

Page 14 has the continuation of an article from page 13 and an article from The Philiadelphia Record, June 24, 1926 titled SLATERS BLUFF CALLED BY HOUDINI, “Millionaire Medium” Ducks When Magician Dares Him to Undergo Test.  $10,000 Offer is Scorned. Houdini’s appearance Flusters Spiritists; Near-Riot Follows Meeting.

Next week, I will share Pages 9 to 11 which cover Houdini’s crusade against Rahman Bey, the fakir.

And the week after that, I will share Pages 12 to 14 which cover Houdini’s crusade against Fraudulent Mediums.

Houdini had souvenir programs made to be sold during the 1925-26 season and 1926-27 season. This post will focus on the 1925-26 program variants and contents.

In 1979, Lee Jacobs first sold an actual reproduction of the souvenir program sold at Houdini’s shows in the lobby of the theaters during the 1925-26 season where he was presenting his performances on a coast-to-coast tour of North America.

It also included a protective cover/tissue sheet, plus How Houdini Really Died and an Introduction by Lee Jacobs, plus a Houdini 1914 Broadside Challenge.

Later, Geno Munari (copyright 2006) sold a reproduction of just the Houdini Souvenir Program for the 1925-26 tour.

The 1925-26 Houdini Souvenir Program was 16 pages, not including the front and back inside covers.

The 16 pages included a Houdini Biography, Some of the Wonderful Feats Accomplished by Houdini, Houdini’s Greatest Thrill, Magical Tricks and Illusions How to Perform Them by Houdini, Challenge to Any Medium in the World, A Few Personal Facts, NYC Police Department Lecture June 18, 1925, Houdini Reveals He “Reads” Minds.

At the McCord Museum, I found a Houdini Bibliography References compiled by Stephen Forrester that included the following,

which implies the 1925-26 season actually had 2 variants, 1925 season – no cover price, 1926 season – “25 cents” cover price and the Lee Jacobs Production had both 1925 (outside) & 1926 (inside) covers.   Does a 1925 original with no cover price exist?

Next week, I will share parts of the rare 1926-27 program from my personal collection and discuss what changed from the 1925-26 program.

• Houdini Souvenir Program Variants – 1926-27 season

From time to time, the following program appears on eBay as a 1925 original, but it was produced in the late 1960s or early 1970s:

The one produced above had a sticker on the back that said, Original Magic Memorabilia from the TEMPLE COLLECTION.

However, the original 1925 Program (snippets below) was printed on thinner stock and had some subtle formatting and spacing differences. Most noticeable are:

the top of the original program,

the end of Act I in the original lists The Miracles of Mahatma and The Whirlwind of Colors vs showing up after the Ten Minute Intermission,

And the bottom of THE RIBBON CURTAIN section in Act III.

Snippets courtesy of McCord Museum.