During my visit to the McCord Museum, I was fortunate enough to have read a compilation (April 24, 1920 v1 n1 to June 5th 1920 v1 n7) of “The Amazing Exploits of Houdini” found in The Kinema Comic.
- The Bride & The Orangutan.
- The Jewel Thieves.
- “Stop Thief!
- The Gold Melters.
- Adventure of the Midland Express.
- In The Dead of Night.
- OUT OF THE SKY.
Each issue contains a several page serialized fictional story (by-lined by Houdini). This week I share my paraphrased version of “Out of The Sky” found in the June 5 1920 v1 n7 issue:
One moment the plane was gliding smoothly on its journey, and the next it appeared to take a decided list and to wobble anywhere, with a peculiar fancy for a spiral dive.
Houdini climbed out of the passenger seat with a jack knife and a pair of pliers. He began to move forward slowly until he reached the damaged section. He hacked away at the woodwork, ripped the canvas, and then cut the whole section free of the wires. At the end of five minutes he had finished the job and watched the damaged part go sailing down to earth.
The pilot yelled: The balance! The balance!
Houdini moved toward the extreme edge of the plane, testing each inch as he went in the manner of a child on a see-saw. An equal balance was not achieved until he passed the place beneath where he had cut the damage away. The machine gradually righted itself and was able to land.
On their way to London, they landed somewhere between the border country of England and Wales. The countryside was particularly desolate. Not a house of any sort within view.
The pilot’s nerves were considerably shaken. For a long time, he remained in his seat, recovering from the strain of the landing.
Houdini crossed over to the pilot, who thanked Houdini for saving him.
Houdini and the pilot were interrupted by a clatter of hoofs on the hard ground, and the next moment a youngster on a pony swept round the end of the machine and asked if he could help anyway.
Houdini asked if he could direct them to the nearest house or railway station.
The youngster not more than sixteen years of age, directed them to his brother’s house. The youngster couldn’t accompany them, because there was a bit of trouble and he needed to stay on look-out. He would keep an eye on the machine and catch up with them later.
After thanking the youngster, Houdini helped the pilot from his seat and they walked to the farm house where they met the older brother and sister, who insisted they have a meal and spend the night.
During the meal, they learned that the older brother had been a major in the Army and on retiring had bought a stud farm from a widow who had been unable to carry on with it after her husband’s death.
Houdini asked about the trouble that the younger brother had mentioned. The major mentioned that the people in the district regard him in the light of an interloping foreigner. Somewhere at the back of their minds they believe that he did the widow wrong, but that is not the case. The widow could not carry on, and advertised the place for sale, and he bought it at her price and is making it pay. That morning he got an anonymous letter, telling him that unless he makes preparations to leave the place, his ponies would be wiped out. It means that the youngster and his older brother have to be up and out all night. After hearing this, Houdini volunteered to be out all night, too.
Before setting out for the stables, Houdini procured a small quantity of flour and a white sheet.
They set out across a huge plain. It was decided to prowl about separately, and if anything should happen, they would call one another by firing a shot in the air.
It was a lonely job. There was no moon out, and the night, consequently, was pitch black. Houdini’s animal trotted along at a nice comfortable pace for about an hour, when suddenly he stopped and planted himself firmly on his four legs. They were at the top of a hill, and not fifty yards away was the damaged plane.
All of a sudden, a shot rang out on the clear night air, it was the signal. Stopping by the aeroplane had given Houdini an idea.
Carrying the sheet and the flour with him, Houdini rushed across the machine and threw them into the driver’s seat. He turned the nose of the aeroplane in the direction from whence the sounds had come and pushed the machine towards the slope, which was steep enough to carry her down. When the speed was sufficient, he jumped aboard and rigged himself has a ghost.
Houdini made a beautiful-staged entrance. The machine ran down the slope across the little valley, and came to stop a few yards on the other side.
Peeping over the side, Houdini discovered that he was in the midst of a crowd of about twenty men. Some were mounted, and other were on foot. On seeing them, Houdini rose to his full height and raised his arms above his head. Then, without uttering a sound, climbed from the pilot’s pit and walked with a stately tread along the broken plane. Every eye was on him. They all stood still as if petrified or in fright.
Then, as Houdini came nearer, there was a stampede, as you heard flying hoofs and feet running away in fear.
Houdini then laughed out loud and removed the sheet from his shoulders.
Back in 2017, five of the six 1977 Stuart Pharmaceutical calendars from the series numbered DM-73301 to DM-73306 were shared:
It is for the The Daring Underwater Escape from a Nailed Packing Box and covers the month of November and December.
Stuart Pharmaceutical’s also created six 1978 Houdini calendars, of which five ot them I will be sharing at later dates; the September/October 1978 calendar still alludes me.
