Friday, April 27th, I went to Avalon Catalina, where I was met by Julie Perlin Lee, the Executive director of the Catalina Island Museum and creator of the first ever Houdini exhibit devoted to his movies.
Having read my blog and extensive research on “Terror Island”, Julie first contacted me about helping with this project back in November of 2016. We then got John Cox on board and between the three of us recruited others like Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), Mark Willoughby, Arthur Moses, and Fred Pittella to loan artifacts for the exhibition. And now this amazing project is coming to fruition.
Julie
After breakfast at Jack’s, got a tour of the museum from Julie, which included the new Jaws exhibit, the Ackerman Family Theatre (outdoor amphitheater) and the location for the new Houdini exhibit.
The Jaws exhibit is to die for, pun intended. BTW: there is a Houdini and Shark connection:
The Ackerman Family Theatre is where they will screen the Tony Curtis Houdini on June 1st, as part of the first Friday of the month program at the museum:
And speaking of first Friday’s at the museum, check out Friday May 4th:
I definitely will be there for John Cox Houdini talk and my favorite close-up magician Johnny Ace Palmer on the 4th as well as the grand opening of Houdini exhibit on the 5th.
The location of the new Houdini exhibit is an amazing Octagon gallery (aka The SAPAP Gallery) that was getting ready to be painted.
After the tour, I reviewed and proofread the story board artifacts and text planned for each themed wall of the exhibit.
It was then time to get ready for the Houdini party planned for the evening, where I was asked to be prepared to speak on Houdini and the exhibit.A taxi service was arranged to take all the guests to the venue.
Well, Kellie and Gary Johnson hosted the party of all parties in their beautiful home with a breathtaking view.
David & Caroline
We were treated to incredible magical entertainment by International Champion of Magic David Minkin and Caroline Le Duc. Check out https://www.magicandwine.com/
Rumor has it that the new Houdini Pinball machine will be making an appearance at the Catalina Island Museum, courtesy of Kellie and Gary Johnson.On Saturday, took a last look at some of the Houdini artifacts before they go on display and then had lunch with Julie and her kids before catching my boat.
I had so much fun and am looking forward to my next visit to Terror Island. So much to look forward to and celebrate.
Thanks for sharing, Joe. Sounds like you had a great time. Love the posters outside the museum. It’s really happening!
The posters are amazing and yes, it’s definitely happening, so exciting. I really promoted your Houdini talk at the party, so I expect to see the same guests there, along with their friends and family.