In January 1921, Houdini’s full length film, The Grim Game, was playing at the Cinema House in Fargate, Sheffield and being watched by the man who helped Houdini.
In The Grim Game, Houdini does an upside down strait jacket escape, a big screen showing of the escape that had first been done in a small attic a couple miles away in June of 1914.
Wait, a minute, I thought, Houdini’s first suspended strait jacket escape was in Kansas City on September 8, 1915. You see, it was in June of 1914, that Houdini was introduced to the idea of the suspended strait jacket escape:
Houdini pushed open the little gate to the house at Carrington Road. Houdini was curious to see what his friend and fellow escapologist had come up with now. Up in the attic, Houdini noticed a rope attached to a winch on the wall, and also to a beam in the high, gable ceiling. What happened next would change the course of history. Houdini placed his friend in a straitjacket and helped haul him up in the air, until he was dangling from the beam. Then as the bemused Houdini watched, his friend proceeded to shed the straitjacket.
It was a simple idea, a type of escape Houdini was known for, but with a whole new twist, literally, as this time the action was done upside down, with the body bending upwards to release itself. Houdini was impressed. It was just what he needed – a new way to gather a large crowd – and out in the open it would be spectacular. [Snippets from The man who helped Houdini by Ann Beedham]
It would be over a year before Houdini would perform this feat in Kansas City on September 8, 1915.
I can definitely picture Houdini’s friend watching The Grim Game in 1921 and imagining himself in Houdini’s role as he did so many times as a boy, and shouting to the fellow cinemagoers – that was my idea!
The man who helped Houdini outside the Sheffield Empire in March 1920 – Buxton Museum and Art Gallery
BTW: The man who helped Houdini was Randolph Douglas (aka Randini) and there is a lot more to his story.
To learn more, I highly recommend the book: RANDINI – The man who helped Houdini by Ann Beedham
Special Thanks to Narinder Chadda of the UK for making it possible for me to get a copy of the book.
Update: I received an email from Bill Mullins that he found records of Mysterio performing the stunt hanging by his feet in Buffalo in June 1913, in Gloversville in Aug 1913, again in Buffalo in Nov 1913, in Yonkers in Dec 1913 (indoors, but still suspended over the stage), and in Saratoga in Jun 1914.
Of course, I was intrigued by this, and looked him up.
Al Pitroff was an escape artist who worked under various names: “Great Pitroff”, “Great Alvin”, “Mysterio”, “Russian Mystifier” and “Levy”. [Sphinx, October, 1916, page 150].
I also found a record of him performing it at the Hartford Theatre in June 1913: He liberated himself from a straitjacket while suspended in midair by his ankles. This was performed in front of the theatre and drew quite an audience. [July 1913 The Sphinx, page 89]
And last but not least, I found the following: It was interesting to learn, when meeting Al Petroff, of New York, that he was the first man ever to do the straight jacket escape while hanging upside down outside a building. Houdini, for a time, said it was too dangerous because of the head rush of blood, but later Houdini started doing it that way and made it his greatest outdoor publicity stunt. [Jinx 1936-1937 Winter Extra, page 176]
So did Houdini get the idea from Randolph Douglas or Al Pitroff?
Update 2: I received another email (10/12/2019) from Bill Mullins, with evidence that Mysterio (Al Pitroff) earliest performance of this feat was Dec 5, 1912, in Yonkers. See Yonkers Statesman Dec. 6 1912 below.
He suffered poor health which was worsened by his attempt to serve in WW1. Houdini was impressed by the young man–as I recall–when Douglas discussed possible solutions to Houdini’s effects and Houdini found them too close for comfort. He was very impressed by Randolph Douglas–and then there is the matter of Douglas’ astounding experiments in miniaturization. He wrote the Lord’s prayer on thread that would pass through the eye of a needle, built a working motor that would fit under a thimble, and a greenhouse, complete with potted plants, that would “fit on your thumbnail.”
Thanks for the comments, Pat. It is honor to hear from Houdini’s Ghost and the author of Houdini the Key which has a page devoted to Randolph O. Douglas.
Many thanks for the mention. Hopefully we will see the elusive film some day. 🙂
My pleasure, it is the least I could do for your generosity and support. I am hopeful, we will be able to see the Grim Game one day.
Interesting piece.
Houdini did the Suspended Straitjacket first in Sept of 1914, not 1915. This was just a couple of months after his visit with Douglas.
I’m sorry we missed the Pitroff reference when researching “Secret Life” but can now shed a bit more light on it.
I can verify that HH did have contact with Pitroff. At least two letters were exchanged in 1914 but Houdini seemed to be miffed about Pitroff using Houdini’s name in his advertising (Pitroff, Houdini’s only rival). The suspended straitjacket was not mentioned in these letters.
I can also report that Pitroff is included in Houdini’s imitators scrapbook and in two clippings contained therein Pitroff is credited with doing the Suspended Straitjacket escape in Boston at the Bowdoin Square Theater. Unfortunately the clipping is undated and I haven’t tried to date it yet.
I can also verify that Douglas absolutely claimed to have done it first in 1913 and I can not find evidence that Douglas was aware of Pitroff at all let alone his doing the Suspended Straitjacket.
My present conclusions are: Both Douglas and Pitroff performed it before Houdini and quite possibly each discovered it independently; Houdini knew of both men; It has always been my belief that very few performed this stunt concurrently with Houdini. It’s possible that Pitroff sold the idea to Houdini and then ceased performing it, but that is mere speculation and needs further research. I believe that Prof. Krayak did it while HH was alive and perhaps Nicola did too but most escape artists, including Hardeen, did not do it while Houdini was alive.
Very interesting! The plot thickens. I would love to see or hear more about the evidence and details for the September 1914 date for Houdini and the 1913 claim for Randolph. Thanks!
Interesting stuff. I actually live in the house at Carrington Road where Houdini visited.
Wow, that is totally cool that you live in the house where Randolph Douglas dangled in a straitjacket from the attic beam in the high gable ceiling after being hoisted up by Houdini. Would love to see a picture of the infamous attic and beam.