I am the proud caretaker of Houdini’s signed copy of the Merry & Bright Book he compiled with the Houdini’s Schooldays Story.

Houdini’s Schooldays was serialized over 30 weeks (9/18/1920 to 4/2/1921) in the Merry and Bright comics. Herbert Allingham was the author and Harry Houdini owned the dramatic and screen rights to this yarn.

I plan to release the story in book form (with original illustrations), and share my research on the history of the story (with photos of rare items from various collections).  Research includes other Allingham stories with Houdini’s name attached (e.g., The Amazing Exploits of Houdini), Copperfield’s Merry and Bright books, Houdini and Allingham correspondence, Houdini’s education (Appleton, Milwaukee), and a look at possible illustrators (e.g., Ogle) for the story.

Today, I continue my series of posts where I share an interview that Pictures and Picturgoer magazine did with Harry Houdini:

“WILL you step this way, please?” The call-boy of a popular London music-hall beckoned to PICTURES representative, and hurried along endless corridors to a dressing room where reposed the man whose name is a household word the world over—Harry Houdini—the Handcuff King. Repose may seem an inadequate term to use in connection with this live, active and almost restless personality, but it is accurate. Houdini works hard, plays hard, and rests hard.

We talked of many things; of life and hopes and ambitions, of business and of romance.

• His future film plans.
• His pet superstition.
• His greatest happiness.
• His fertile brain.
• His pleasure in films.

His pleasure in films.

One of his reasons for his pleasure in the popularity of films is rather delightful. “Because they give old people a chance of securing work as actors,” he said.

This feeling is no doubt born of his long and happy association with stage-folk, whom he dearly loves, and while at the Lasky studios making The Grim Game he met two or three hundred men and women of the theatrical world who were too old for the stage, yet were earning a generous livelihood at film-acting.

One more word about Houdini ; he neither drinks nor smokes. Movieland be glad to welcome him into its fold—on and off the screen, for we are glad to know we have men of such ideals amongst us. M. O. B.

Source:

• Picture and Picturegoers March 6, 1920

Today, I continue my series of posts where I share an interview that Pictures and Picturgoer magazine did with Harry Houdini:

“WILL you step this way, please?” The call-boy of a popular London music-hall beckoned to PICTURES representative, and hurried along endless corridors to a dressing room where reposed the man whose name is a household word the world over—Harry Houdini—the Handcuff King. Repose may seem an inadequate term to use in connection with this live, active and almost restless personality, but it is accurate. Houdini works hard, plays hard, and rests hard.

We talked of many things; of life and hopes and ambitions, of business and of romance.

• His future film plans.
• His pet superstition.
• His greatest happiness.
• His fertile brain.
• His pleasure in films.

His fertile brain.

Not so engulfed in his own career that he has no time to watch what is going on in the outside world, Houdini is interested in topics and problems of the day, and has also various hobbies.

One of these is—invention. He loves inventing things, and the scheme of the new American travelling trunk now on the market emanated from his fertile brain. He got the idea for this while on tour with a circus many years ago, when facilities for carrying luggage were such that it required great ingenuity to carry anything at all.

Will power is one of Houdini’s strong points—always he had the will to succeed. Perhaps that is why he did. Once having made up his mind that a thing is possible he will never rest until he has accomplished it. An example of this is when once he practised for six weeks in order to get one effect [scaling the wall of a building, then climbing out on the flagpole and then doing some additional fancy work while hanging by his knees] on the screen [The Grim Game].

Source:

• Picture and Picturegoers March 6, 1920

Today, I continue my series of posts where I share an interview that Pictures and Picturgoer magazine did with Harry Houdini:

“WILL you step this way, please?” The call-boy of a popular London music-hall beckoned to PICTURES representative, and hurried along endless corridors to a dressing room where reposed the man whose name is a household word the world over—Harry Houdini—the Handcuff King. Repose may seem an inadequate term to use in connection with this live, active and almost restless personality, but it is accurate. Houdini works hard, plays hard, and rests hard.

We talked of many things; of life and hopes and ambitions, of business and of romance.

• His future film plans.
• His pet superstition.
• His greatest happiness.
• His fertile brain.
• His pleasure in films.

His greatest happiness.

“I find my greatest happiness, ” he said, in my library among my books, in the company of my wife. I have a number of rare editions and a choice collection—one of the greatest in the world, I believe—of theatrical books. Some of my most treasured possessions, too, are souvenirs of various kinds, of famous stage-folk whom I have met in my career.

“My greatest ambition—maybe I’ll surprise you with my answer—it’s just this—to be worthy of my mother.” And in that one can sum up the character of this many-sided and amazing personality.

Houdini is a dark, slim man, in the early forties, active as a boy, always in the pink of condition, thanks to the healthy, athletic life he leads, and with a super-abundance of energy. Curiously enough he declares that. the less he sleeps the better he works.

Source:

• Picture and Picturegoers March 6, 1920

Today, I continue my series of posts where I share an interview that Pictures and Picturgoer magazine did with Harry Houdini:

“WILL you step this way, please?” The call-boy of a popular London music-hall beckoned to PICTUR ES representative, and hurried along endless corridors to a dressing room where reposed the man whose name is a household word the world over—Harry Houdini—the Handcuff King. Repose may seem an inadequate term to use in connection with this live, active and almost restless personality, but it is accurate. Houdini works hard, plays hard, and rests hard.

We talked of many things; of life and hopes and ambitions, of business and of romance.

• His future film plans.
• His pet superstition.
• His greatest happiness.
• His fertile brain.
• His pleasure in films.

His pet superstition.

For instance. I once broke my wrist getting out of a window three feet from the ground. I reckon a brave man is one who takes risks while fully realising what he is undertaking—it is the fool who is reckless.

I’m not superstitious, really, but like most people I have one pet superstition, and it is that it is unlucky to keep a lock of another person’s hair. Once when I was experiencing a run of bad luck I remembered that I was carrying a lock of the famous Duke of Wellington’s hair as a souvenir. Directly I remembered this I determined to lose no time in getting rid of it. It was 4 o’clock in the morning when I thought of the lock, but I got up and burned it—and my luck changed.

When the conversation turned on ” happiness,” Houdini warmed to the subject and divulged what that magic word meant to him.

Source:

• Picture and Picturegoers March 6, 1920