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:
- Houdini, Delprade, and the origin of Metamorphosis (WildAboutHoudini.com)
Samuel Baldwin aka The White Mahatma escaped from handcuffs early on as well. According to Wikipedia:
Baldwin was one of the first magicians to have practiced a stage escape from handcuffs.[7] He had performed this feat as early as 1871.[8] Early in his career the magician Harry Houdini demonstrated a handcuff escape at the Alhambra Theatre. The manager C. Dundas Slater noted that Baldwin had performed the trick many years before Houdini.[9]
According to Silverman on page 40 of his Houdini bio: “Houdini credited Baldwin with having given him the idea for an act made up mostly of handcuff escapes.
Nice video. I think it overstates the importance of Godfrey quite a bit. But nice to see something that goes a bit deeper than normal. Thanks for sharing!