I started the year off, sharing the 1953 pressbook from the Tony Curtis Houdini movie. Thought I would continue sharing other related Houdini related movie items throughout the year, like: Posters, Lobby cards, stills, magazine covers/advertisements and programs from around the world.
Today I share a 1954 Japanese program (read pages from left to right) from my collection:
Front and Back Cover
Pages 2 and 1
Pages 4 and 3
Pages 6 and 5
Pages 8 and 7
Pages 10 and 9
To celebrate 150 years, thought I would share an article (The Star, April 4, 1974) from my personal collection that celebrated a century:
H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y H O U D I N I !
Harry Houdini and Theo Hardeen with first sub-trunk (they may have got from Godfrey) Photo Credit: Pat Culliton The Key p46
Mike Meyer shared with me the following video about Houdini’s Metamorphosis trunk and a magician named Joe Godfrey that I think you will find interesting:
Additional Notes:
The history of the handcuff act can be traced back as far as Joe Godfrey, who was supposed to be the first to introduce it with much success. [HH Scrapbook 38]
According to Houdini’s Fabulous Magic, it was in the 1890s that magicians began to specialize in handcuff escapes and one of the earliest references to “The Handcuff Act” is found in a book entitled New Ideas in Magic, by W. H. J. Shaw, which was published in 1902. It states:
This act was first introduced by Joe Godfrey, followed by Louis Paul, and in the last ten years, several performers have introduced the act to good success…
Related:
I started the year off, sharing the 1953 pressbook from the Tony Curtis Houdini movie. Thought I would continue sharing other related Houdini related movie items throughout the year, like: Posters, Lobby cards, stills, magazine covers/advertisements and programs from around the world.
Today I share (the original workbook photo in my collection) of the American 11×14 Set of Lobby Cards:
BTW, I have original pressbook and originals of all of these Lobby cards with one signed by Janet Leigh.